A capsule containing fenretinide may someday be the cure for non-exudative macular degeneration. The most damaging form of dry macular degeneration is called geographic atrophy (GA). It is different from the "wet" form as there are no abnormal leaky blood vessels within the retina. Patients with geographic atrophy experience vision loss due to atrophy, or cell death, … [Read more...]
Study Compares Laser Treatment Against Steroids for Diabetic Macular Edema
August 10, 2009 By Leave a Comment
As reported in the Archives of Ophthalmology, a 3 year study finds that laser photocoagulation is just as effective as intravitreal steroid injection for the treatment of clinically significant macular edema (CSME), aka diabetic macular edema (DME). This DRCR.net study compared standard laser photocoagulation against intravitreal steroids given in two different … [Read more...]
Is Your Doctor Watching You With OCT Technology?
August 9, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Yes, probably he/she is. Your doctor is most likely well trained and highly likely to up-to-date with the latest technology to examine your retina, specifically your macula, for conditions such as macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, epiretinal membranes, macular hole, etc. What is OCT? OCT stands for Optical Coherence Tomography. It is basically a laser used … [Read more...]
Do Macular Degeneration Patients Really Need Eye Exams?
August 6, 2009 By 2 Comments
Macular degeneration is a disease that affects the central vision. Wet or dry, it leads to progressive loss of vision. But how useful are regular examinations to detect and prevent damage to your central vision? But first, some history. Macular degeneration comes in two flavors, exudative (wet ARMD) and non-exudative (dry ARMD). It usually affects both eyes in … [Read more...]
What is “Best Corrected” Vision?
August 5, 2009 By Leave a Comment
As a retina specialist, I see a lot of people that have substantial vision loss from diabetic retinopathy, … [Read more...]
Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) for Macular Degeneration, Obsolete?
August 4, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Whatever happened to photodynamic therapy? Visudyne®, a form of photodynamic therapy, was one of the first "treatments" for wet, or exudative, macular degeneration and quickly became the treatment of choice. It was approved for the treatment of wet macular degeneration in 2000. The treatment involves infusion of Visudyne® (verteporfin for injection) into the … [Read more...]
Systemic Avastin May Be Effective for Macular Degeneration
August 4, 2009 By Leave a Comment
In select instances, administering Avastin® (bevacizumab) intravenously may be an effective way of treating patients with wet macular degeneration. In a short study, patients were randomly selected to be treated with either intravenous Avastin® or saline. Patients received only 3 infusions every two weeks and were followed for 24 weeks. Patients were observed … [Read more...]
More Good News About Avastin and Diabetic Retinopathy
August 3, 2009 By 1 Comment
The anti-VEGF drug, Avastin® (bevacizumab), was used to treat patients with diabetic macular edema. The study found that over 50% of patients receiving the drug noted improved vision. Overall, 97% of patients were either stabilized or noted improvement over the two year study period. In the study, patients received between 1 and 15 injections over the two year … [Read more...]
