Can Macular Degeneration Be Cured? A Realistic Look at Current Treatments

This is an eye condition that affects the macula, a small area near the center of the retina. The macula lets you see things clearly and straight ahead, which helps with reading, driving, and recognizing faces. If it gets damaged, your central vision may become blurry or dark, but your side vision usually stays clear.

There are two types of macular degeneration. Dry AMD is much more common and develops slowly as yellow deposits, called drusen, build up under the retina. Wet AMD is less common but more serious. In this form, abnormal blood vessels form beneath the retina and begin to leak, which can cause vision to fade more quickly.

Although there is no cure yet, treatments have improved a lot. For many people, these treatments can slow the disease and help protect vision for years.

What Treatment Can and Cannot Do

The truth is that no treatment can completely reverse macular degeneration right now. However, there are still ways to help. The main goals are to slow the disease, preserve your vision, and sometimes even restore some of the lost vision.

For dry AMD, treatment aims to slow the progression of the disease. A special mix of vitamins and minerals, called the AREDS2 formula, can lower the risk of reaching advanced stages by about 25%. This formula contains lutein, zeaxanthin, vitamin C, vitamin E, and zinc. It is not a cure, but for people with intermediate dry AMD, it can help.

Make a few changes for the sake of your eyes. If you can quit smoking, you would be doing your eyes a great favor. Fill your plate with fatty fish, leafy greens, and bright fruits. Those foods nourish the retina. And keep an eye on your blood pressure and cholesterol. When those numbers stay healthy, the small blood vessels in your eyes stay healthier too.

Treating wet AMD usually involves a more active approach. The main treatment is anti-VEGF injections. These block a protein that causes abnormal blood vessel growth. These injections are given directly into the eye every four to twelve weeks. Getting an eye injection might sound scary, but the procedure is quick, and your eye will be numbed first. Most people handle it well.

Anti-VEGF therapy does not cure wet AMD. But it can stabilize vision in many people and even improve it in some. One study found that a higher proportion of patients on a newer agent, faricimab, had no fluid in the retina after 4 months compared with those on older drugs. The results vary, but the trend is clear. Treatment works better than it did a decade ago.

There are other treatments for certain cases. Photodynamic therapy uses a drug activated by light to close abnormal blood vessels. Laser photocoagulation can seal leaking vessels, but it is used less often now because it can cause small blind spots.

What Is on the Horizon

Researchers are working on treatments that last longer and need fewer injections. The treatments should target the disease in new ways. For example, gene therapy is one area being studied. The goal is to help the eye make its own anti-VEGF proteins, so regular injections may not be needed.

If you notice straight lines look wavy, dark spots in your central vision, or colors seem faded, see an eye doctor right away.

To learn more about macular degeneration, visit Cibolo Valley Vision in Cibolo, Texas. Call (830) 205-4375 to schedule an appointment.

https://www.aao.org/eye-health/tips-prevention/promising-new-treatments-amd

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15246-macular-degeneration