New Treatment for Macular Degeneration
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Everyone with a loved one suffering from AMD is on the alert for a new treatment for macular degeneration. For those suffering from AMD, hope springs eternal to be able to enjoy reading and enjoy the simple pleasures of life.
AMD Treatments:
AMD or age related macular degeneration is a condition where the macula or tissues behind the retina deteriorate. When the macula has worsened, one has blurry vision and cannot see objects where once central focus used to work.
What the afflicted can see are the peripheral images, not the face of the person when visual focus is centered on the face
Vitamins, laser therapy, photdynamic laser therapy, anti-angiogenesis drugs, and low vision aids are now joined by new treatment for macular degeneration.
The world at large is waiting for the new cure for AMD and now, Harvard and Japan research has identified endostatin as a miracle drug that may eliminate or reduce the growth of abnormal blood vessels that cause central visual impairment.
In a clinical test conducted on mice, researchers discovered that mice that lacked endostatin had reduced levels of AMD causing abnormal blood vessels when given endostatin. The control mice with normal amounts of endostatin, levels of AMD causing abnormal blood vessels were undetectable.
If this new discovery can be proven beneficial, millions of people who will be in their late fifties in this decade can benefit from the sight saving treatment.
New Surgical Macular Degeneration Treatment:
For patients with progressive visual loss, their hopes lie on a new surgical procedure. In what is to be touted as the latest surgical treatment for AMD. The new surgical method called the MT360 involves two surgical methods.
First, surgery is done to translocate the retina and shift the deteriorating retina to a healthy area away from abnormal blood vessels and scarred tissues; secondly, surgery rotates the eye to accommodate the person’s visual field.
This surgical method restores central vision, but is not a cure for AMD according to the researchers at Duke Eye Center. This surgery gives hope to people visually impaired by AMD and are experiencing the end-stage of the disorder.
Are you a researcher or doctor trying a new treatment for macular degeneration ?
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FDA Approved Treatments:
A new treatment or AMD which is approved by the FDA is lutein for macular treatment. Lucentis, a treatment for colorectal cancer has been approved by the FDA to treat advance wet AMD.
The drug targets VEGF protein, the culprit behind the development of macular degeneration. This is administered by injection to the eye and is done on a monthly basis during the treatment period.
Similar to Lutein but a newer version and also bearing the FDA seal of approval is Macugen. This is also administered through injection directly to the eyeball and is done every six weeks. Trial treatments proved that AMD vision loss is slowed down.
FDA approved Visudyne is injected but the arm. When done the doctor shines a cold laser light in the eye to activate the drug. In reaction the drug produces a chemical that destroys leaking blood vessels. The procedure is painless compared to other AMD eye injections.
As of now, there is no perfect macular degeneration treatment but researchers are racing to meet the medical needs of baby boomers threatened by AMD.
With research, it won’t be long that a new treatment for macular degeneration can be discovered and hopefully this can be found in the near future.
A new treatment for macular degeneration is always on the horizon, but a cure may be questionable.
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