Macular Degeneration Treatment
Treating Macular Degeneration
There are two treatable types of age related macular degeneration. The most common type is called age related macular degeneration or AMD. The second type is called wet macular degeneration, and it comprises a much smaller percentage of the cases. Since wet macular degeneration involves the formation of new blood vessels under the retina that hemorrhage, it is treated with drugs that are designed to prevent the formation of new blood vessels. As these abnormal blood vessels form in an area where they should not be forming, efforts to treat are directed at preventing the new blood vessels from ever beginning to evolve.
The process by which these abnormal blood vessels begin to form under the surface of the retina is called angiogenesis or neovascularization. Drugs have been designed that are injected into the eyeball in the posterior or back portion. These drugs have been shown to reduce the neovascularization and thus reduce the progression of wet macular degeneration. To date there is no treatment that is one hundred percent effective. The current treatments are directed at slowing the formation of the blood vessels and thus slowing any leaking of blood from what are generally weak and abnormal vessels. Unfortunately wet macular degeneration is more rapidly progressive in most instances and is responsible for rapid vision loss quite often. The new drugs that are now available are called Avastin, Macugen, or Lucentis. These drugs work in a similar fashion by inhibiting a chemical that encourages the growth of new blood vessels. This chemical is called vascular endothelial growth factor or VEGF. In addition to these drugs, some eye doctors called ophthalmologists prefer the use of specially directed laser to try to destroy leaking vessels.
The treatment of the most common type of macular degeneration called age related or dry macular degeneration is entirely different from the treatment of wet macular degeneration. Since dry macular degeneration (AMD) does not involve the formation of blood vessels that leak, the treatment is directed at a unique cause. AMD is caused by the formation of deposits on the surface of the retina and the macula called drusen. These deposits are felt to be debris from decomposing tissue. Fortunately the progression of this type of macular disease is far slower than wet macular disease. In spite of this fact AMD is responsible for the vast majority of cases of macular degeneration. Together AMD and wet macular degeneration are the leading causes of legal blindness.
Treatment of AMD is directed at slowing the formation of drusen. Ophthalmologists recommend the use of nutritional items that contain various combinations of vitamins. The most effective vitamins are A, C, and E. Along with these it has been shown in large studies that lutein, zinc, and copper are also helpful in the prevention of drusen. It is also recommended that patients with AMD wear sun glasses to limit sun damage to the retina. Sunglasses should have UV protection. Any of the current nutritional combinations have the potential of slowing the progression of AMD. Therefore, patients who are diagnosed with AMD should be taking one of the ocular nutritional preparations currently available.
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