Injections For The Treatment
of Wet Macular Degeneration
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| Date: July 9, 2006 |
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in people over 50 years of age. It is caused by the breakdown of the central portion of the retina (the highly sensitive part of your eye that works like the film in a camera to pick up the picture) called the macula. The macula is responsible for the fine central vision in the eye that is needed for driving a car, reading fine print, recognizing faces, etc. There are two types of macular degeneration: dry and wet. In the "wet" form of AMD, abnormal blood vessels grow in the back of the eye. Sometimes these vessels leak blood or fluid that causes blurred or distorted vision. Without treatment, vision loss may be quick and severe.
Some treatment options are available for wet macular degeneration. But the success of the treatment - stopping further progress of the disease-depends on the location and the extent of the abnormal blood vessels. In most cases, the damage already caused by macular degeneration can't be reversed. The sooner the abnormal blood vessels are detected, the better your chances of treatment preserving what's left of your central vision.
In the last two years promising drug therapies for treating macular degeneration have emerged. Some such therapies that have been approved or are in the final phases of study include:
- Macugen . Approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in December 2004, pegaptanib (Macugen) is a drug used for treating wet macular degeneration. Macugen works by targeting the protein involved in the growth of abnormal blood vessels. The drug stops the formation of new blood vessels and decreases leakage from existing blood vessels. Macugen, given as a series of injections into the vitreous fluid in the eye, may prevent further loss of vision.
- Lucentis . Like Macugen, ranibizumab (Lucentis) is another drug used to treat wet macular degeneration by impeding new growth of abnormal blood vessels. Lucentis shows promise in reversing the effects of macular degeneration, not just preventing further vision loss. Lucentis gained FDA approval in June 2006. Some doctors are prescribing a closely related drug, bevacizumab (Avastin), hoping that it will have similar effects as those of Lucentis. Avastin is a drug approved for colon and rectal cancer treatment. Using it for treating macular degeneration is considered an off-label use.
- Kenalog> . Triamcinolone (Kenalog), is a steroid drug used to treat eye inflammation and swelling (edema). Studies are under way to determine whether Kenalog injections might also improve vision in people with macular degeneration. Kenalog, when used in combination with a laser treatment called photodynamic therapy, maximizes the effect of photodynamic therapy. An ongoing study is exploring the value of combing these two therapies.
Research into new treatments for macular degeneration is ongoing. To determine if you are a candidate for these treatments you can contact our offices in Stillwater at 405-372-1715 or Pawnee at 918-762-2573. |
