Medical Treatment

No one has found a treatment of or a cure for the dry form of age-related macular degeneration.

• Antioxidants: Deficiencies in antioxidants (specifically zinc and vitamins A, C, and E) have been noted in some people with age-related macular degeneration. Antioxidants may protect against age-related macular degeneration by preventing free radicals or unstable oxygen from damaging the retina.

The wet form of age-related macular degeneration is more likely than the dry form to cause significant vision loss. Different treatments of the wet form are available and may help decrease the amount of vision that is lost.


• Laser treatment: Clinical trials have demonstrated the value of laser treatment for some people with the wet form.
  
  
  • Laser treatment may stop or lessen vision loss in early stages of the disease.
    
    
  • A laser beam destroys existing blood vessels and may stop the growth of new ones.
    
    
  • A scar forms after the laser treatment. This produces a permanent loss of vision in that area of the retina, sacrificed in order to preserve the rest of the eye layer.
    
    
  • Vision usually does not improve after laser treatment. It works in about half the cases, and only a small number of people meet the criteria for laser treatment. Its limitations have prompted a search for other forms of therapy.
    
    
• Photodynamic therapy: In April 2000, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved this treatment. A light-activated drug called verteporfin (Visudyne) is given intravenously and uses a laser to close the abnormal vessels while leaving the retina intact. You may need several treatments over one to two years because closed blood vessels can reopen within the treated area. Because Verteporfin is activated by light, exposure to sunlight must be avoided for five days after treatment.
  
  
• Antioxidants: Deficiencies in antioxidants have been noted in some people with age-related macular degeneration. Antioxidants may protect against age-related macular degeneration by preventing free radicals or unstable oxygen from damaging the retina.
  
  
• A variety of drugs that block vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are being evaluated as a treatment option.