Wet Macular Degeneration Treatment Options
Macular degeneration usually occurs in people over the age of 50. It is a disease that strikes people when they least expect it. There are two types of Age Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD) – wet and dry. The dry type occurs slowly over time and wet ARMD generally occurs quickly and causes blurred vision and central vision blind spots. Both types of ARMD can benefit from Macular Degeneration treatment but cannot be cured.
Wet ARMD occurs when blood vessels break in the macula, which is located behind the eye. These vessels can sometimes be sealed using laser photocoagulation. This treatment does not guarantee success and often vision gets worse after the laser treatment is performed. The treatment destroys not only blood vessels but also damages photoreceptors which are close by. So, the treatment may help for a time but can also make vision even worse than it was before the procedure was performed.
Another treatment option for wet ARMD is by using angiogenesis inhibitors. This laser treatment is not optimal because it not only destroys new blood vessels behind the eyes it often scars the retina as well. This scarring ultimately causes severe loss of vision, secondary to macular degeneration.
A third option is by using Photodynamic Therapy, often called PDT. The patient is given an injection of a special dying solution which then adheres to the abnormal blood vessels in back of the eye. Then, laser treatment is used to seal the unwanted blood vessels.
Other options that are used for wet Macular Degeneration are: Transpupillary Thermotherapy Photcoagulation (which uses heat treatment at the back of the eye), Macular Translocation (whereas a delicate surgery moves part of the retina away from diseased tissue) and Retinal transplants/implants (radical surgery to replace diseased retinas).
All Macular Degeneration treatments options are just that: treatments. They are not a cure for this age-related disease and often only delay the total loss of vision for the patient. However, they are worth trying if vision is starting to fail and it is related to or caused by ARMD.
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