News You Can Use: July 2009
I have dry AMD. I heard about a drug called Lucentis but I am told it won't work for me. Why?
Answer from Dr. Gerald Chader, Chief Scientific Officer, Doheny Retina Institute, University of Southern California Medical School.
Many patients ask this question and before giving a simple answer, it is important to understand the difference between the two main types of macular degeneration.
Dry AMD, which is the more common form of the disease, accounts for 85% to 90% of all cases. It develops gradually over time and causes varying degrees of sight loss. It occurs when the light-sensitive cells in the macula slowly break down, gradually blurring central vision in the affected eye. One key identifier for dry AMD is the collection of small, round, white-yellow, fatty deposits called drusen in the macula.
Wet AMD occurs when abnormal, leaky blood vessels develop in the macular. These abnormal vessels leak fluid and blood into the tissue at the back of the eye, causing a blister to form in the retina. The resulting scar tissue leads first to distortion and eventually to loss of central vision. Although the wet form of AMD accounts for only 10 to 15% of all AMD, the risk of severe sight loss is much greater.
Lucentis is known as an anti-VEGF drug. It works by targeting VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor), a protein involved in causing new blood vessel formation. Delivered by intravitreal injection into the eye, Lucentis stops proliferation of leaky blood vessels in the macula. Lucentis has been very successful for many people with wet AMD, but since it is not designed to stop the earlier pathological changes such as the formation of drusen, it is not useful for treating the dry form of the disease.
However, if you have the dry form of AMD, there are things you can do that can slow the progression of the disease!
For more nutrition tips, research, and treatment information, visit our website at www.amdalliance.org
