A New Treatment for Wet AMD

People are often confused about the differences between the wet and dry forms of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Although the dry form is more common, it only develops slowly, whereas the wet form is responsible for most (90%) severe loss of vision. There are approximately 200,000 new cases of wet AMD in the United States each year.

Laser surgery and photodynamic therapy can arrest or slow the further development of wet AMD, if it’s caught early enough. But there hasn’t been a treatment which produces an actual improvement in vision – so far. Now the FDA has approved a new drug, Lucentis®, or ranibizumab, which is given by injection directly into the eyeball, usually once a month for 4 months. In clinical trials, almost 40% of patients experience a three-line vision improvement (you can read three more lines down on the ophthalmologist’s chart).

Lucentis is expensive, although most insurances will cover it. And it sometimes has side effects – infection (which can be serious), retinal detachment, and thrombosis. So it’s not to be taken lightly. But, if you’re threatened with loss of vision, these may be risks worth taking.