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The most commonly used form of therapy in wet ARMD is the
injection of drugs that cease the creation of pathological neovessels
and subsequent hemorrhage.
These drugs are called
“Anti Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor”
(Anti-VEGF), and they turn against a chemical compound called
“Vascular Grow factor” (VEGF) that is produced by the body when
cells do not receive enough oxygen. These drugs include Avastin,
Lucentis, Macugen and Eylea and they are injected directly into the
globe. The procedure only takes a few seconds and is simple and
painless.
At
Athens Eye Hospital,
we only use formulary drugs and they are
always injected under aseptic surgical conditions
, despite the
fact that they are not considered surgery, in order to obliterate any
possible complication such as infection or inflammation.
Certain cases of wet ARMD are treated by targeting and destroying
specific neovascular membranes with a special laser. This is also a
simple procedure, and after its application there is no need for any
hospitalization or other care by the patient.
It is rarely used and only in situations where neovascularization is not
affecting the central area, as the thermal damage that is produced
does not improve vision but only retards the progression of the
disease.
Photodynamic therapy is a combination of a drug administration
(“Visudyne”) and the application of a special laser. The energy
intake by the drug from the laser causes it to produce short-lived
Anti VEGF Therapy
Laser Photocoagulation
Photodynamic Therapy (PDT)
Due to these drugs acting against neovascularization, most patients
not only preserve their vision, but very often a slight improvement
of vision takes place, which consequently improves patients’ life
standard.
