If you are dealing with Wet AMD, then it is important to understand the treatment options available. Wet age related macular degeneration is a disease that causes vision loss due to leaking blood vessels. Abnormal blood vessels grow around the eye and then leak blood. This causes scaring to the retina and a loss of vision.

There are several different treatment options. Some are aimed at preventing damage to the retina, while others look to stop the blood vessels from leaking, growing, or doing damage. Finally, there is a treatment for those for which all other treatments have failed and are in the end stage of the disease.

Let's take a look at the treatments now.

Vitamin Therapy

This is the first step and it should be used when a person is first diagnosed. The vitamins will not stop the blood vessels from leaking blood, but it is thought to help protect the retina.

The vitamins include beta-carotene, zinc, copper as well as omega fatty acids. You can either get these vitamins individually, or look for one of the prepackaged pills that are designed for eye support. You might also want to increase the amount of salmon (in order to omega fatty acids) and leafy greens in your diet. Antioxidants found in leafy greens (lutein and zeaxanthin) are thought to be very effective at protecting the eye.

Injections Into Your Eye

The best medical treatment for stopping Wet AMD are angiogenesis inhibitors. These are medications that are injected right into the eye. They stop the formation of the abnormal blood vessels by blocking a protein that promotes the growth of abnormal blood vessels. The protein is called VEGF.

There are several different medications used for this method. You will have to discuss the pros and cons of each with your physician.

Implantable Telescope

This is the treatment for those people who have not had success with drug treatments. This method involves implanting a tiny telescope into the eyeball. The telescope allows the person to regain some vision.

This treatment should not be considered until other methods have failed. The patient must have wet macular degeneration in both eyes, be at least 75 years of age and have not undergone cataract surgery on the eye where the implant will be placed.

Outdated Therapy

Photodynamic Therapy

This therapy has been replaced by the use of injectable anti-Vegf drugs. Originally, this was one of the more popular treatments. A light activated drug was injected into the patients arm. At this point the drug would travel through the bloodstream and find its way to the abnormal veins. A laser would be used to activate the drug. The new generation of angiogenesis inhibitors can be injected right into the eye and don't need to be activated by a laser. 

For more information, contact clinics like Malkani Retina Center. 

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