Macular Degeneration Treatment
Macular degeneration treatment has made hopeful progress in the past few years. An important macular degeneration study (AREDS) has impacted research and macular degeneration treatment. Researchers are actively seeking to cure this disease, as it is one of the most serious elderly issues.
Macular degeneration nutrition
is one of the most important aspects of treatment, along with special vitamins and supplements. Early detection of macular degeneration is the best approach available. And if detected in its early stages, treatment for macular degeneration can have positive results and help with preservation of eyesight. Macular degeneration involves two types: wet macular degeneration and dry macular degeneration. Treatment will depend upon what type the patient has. There are no formal treatments for dry macular degeneration treatment available thus far. The dry type progresses more slowly, so patients are able to live a more normal life for a longer period of time. Macular degeneration prevention is recommended for the dry type. The two studies are called the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS), and AREDS2. Thousands of vision loss patients were involved in the studies. The results are valuable for many types of loss of vision. Excellent supplements are now available. Minerals and vitamins for macular degeneration have been developed based upon these studies. In fact, loss of vision due to AMD was found to have been reduced by about 25% by specific macular degeneration nutrition and supplements. 
Taking recommended minerals and vitamins for macular degeneration prevention can slow the progress of the disease and possibly improve vision. This is the best way to pursue macular degeneration treatment for the dry type at this time. For more complete information, see our article on
Macular Degeneration NutritionWet Macular Degeneration Treatment There are more types of wet macular degeneration treatment, than there are for dry. The same nutrition and supplements are valuable, of course. But newer drugs are available that not only slow down wet macular degeneration, but that can also improve vision. Most are in the form of injections and have now been used for several years. Other treatments include laser surgery. With the more rare “translocation” surgery, a small area of the eye is actually shifted to another location within the eye. See below. These drugs are based on what is called the “vascular endothelial growth factor” (VEGF). Patients with wet macular degeneration have higher levels of VEGF. This is a protein that causes blood vessels in the eye to abnormally grow, bleed, and leak. Damage to the macula, or central vision part of the eye, occurs. The patient then has central loss of vision. The drugs for wet macular degeneration treatment block these VEGF proteins and their formation of abnormal blood vessels. 
A shot in your eyeball? Sound scary? It sounds much worse than it is, say patients I know who have received the treatment (including my dad). Injections are now a standard macular degeneration treatment. With injections, your retina specialist will administer a special drug called an anti-VEGF agent. As we learned previously, VEGF is the protein that causes abnormal blood vessels to grow in the eye. These drugs stop or slow down the vessels from growing, bleeding and leaking. They are give about every 6 weeks for as long as the doctor prescribes them. Initially, a round of three injections may be done, 6 weeks apart. A complex eye exam is given at the first visit. Eye exam follow-ups are then given at each visit to monitor progress. Dad's Eyeball Shot. My Dad was a 93-year-old patient who had advanced wet AMD. Read about his personal experiences on this page with the notorious eyeball shot - the Avastin macular degeneration treatment. 
Here is an overview of the primary drugs -- for wet macular degeneration treatment that are currently being used. Your doctor may have a preference or will use a specific treatment depending on the patient’s AMD specifics. Ask your doctor for a full explanation of side effects.LUCENTIS. This is an FDA-approved drug and was developed specifically for use in the eye. In clinical studies involving almost 1,000 patients with treatments for up to two years, subjects saw their vision stabilize and even improve. Side effects (temporary) can include increase in eye pressure, redness, stinging, tearing, little specks in your vision, sensitivity to light. Serious side effects are not common. MACUGEN. This was the first anti-VEGF to be approved by the FDA, in 2004. Again, most of the side effects are due to the procedure itself. They include burning, redness, sensitivity to light, temporary vision loss. Increased eye pressure and cataracts are more rare as side effects. AVASTIN. Retina specialists worldwide are now using this “off label” drug that has traditionally been used with chemotherapy to halt blood vessel growth in various cancers. It is not manufactured specifically as an eye drug. Nevertheless, the Macula Society and several ophthalmology reports have indicated successful results, even occurring one week after injection. The usual side effects can occur, but also more serious side effects pertain to increase in stroke and heart attack. If your doctor offers this as an alternative for you, it is because he/she is familiar with both its effectiveness and side effects. 
The doctor will explain this to the patient, and may have them sign a statement that they understand, including that it is not FDA approved as a specific eye treatment. The cost is also less. At the time of this writing, the price of Lucentis was approximately $2200 to $2700 per treatment, and Avastin was $75 to $150 per treatment.Other Treatments Translocation Surgery. This is used in rare occasions when there is a lot of bleeding under the macula and still healthy tissue left around the fovea area (see above). The surgeon will detach the retina and re-locate, or shift, the fovea away from the problematic blood vessels, into the healthy tissues. The abnormal vessels can then be removed. There are only a handful of specialized centers in the world that do this procedure. Radiation Therapy. This is an older type of therapy that is hardly used now. Research has shown that it has not been as effective, certainly not as compared to injection treatments. Stem Cell Treatment. This, of course, is still in its beginning stages. But promising research is being conducted at various centers around the world. Details are just starting to emerge, and we will keep this web site posted as our retina specialists advise us of new advancements. Knowledge of both macular degeneration treatment and macular degeneration nutrition is important to monitor healthy vision. Return from Macular Degeneration Treatment, copyright 2009-2011, OneSong, LLC
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The National Eye Institute through two thorough studies, has concluded that careful nutrition and supplements can slow down progress, and in some cases improve vision. If a person over age 50 is at risk for macular degeneration, it is highly recommended that a nutritious diet and supplement intake be used for macular degeneration prevention, as well as any loss of vision.
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