Macular Degeneration

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Macular Degeneration Treatment

There is no specific treatment for "dry" macular degeneration, although zinc supplementation may slow the progression of the disease (see zinc in diet).

For the "wet" form of macular degeneration, laser photocoagulation (laser surgery to coagulate leaking choroidal blood vessels) may be useful in the early stages of the wet form of the disease. It involves the use of a thermal laser, which burns the abnormal, leaky blood vessels and stops them from spreading.

A newer treatment option for patients with "wet" macular degeneration is photodynamic therapy, which can be performed in a doctor's office. In this procedure a light-sensitive medication called Visudyne (verteporfin) is injected into a vein in the patient's arm. The drug circulates through the body to the eyes.

When a non-thermal laser is shone into the eyes, Visudyne produces a chemical reaction that destroys abnormal blood vessels. If the vessels re-grow, the procedure can be repeated.

Photodynamic therapy is expensive and is not curative, but it can be successful in managing a particular area of leakage from the choroid through the RPE.

Your physician may recommend that you use an Amsler grid to discover possible new leaks before scarring occurs.

Low-vision aids and therapy can be vital to improvement of quality of vision and life.