Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a condition that affects the central part of the retina. In advanced stages of the disease, affected individuals experience a reduced visual acuity, particularly in central vision. As a result, patients need magnifying visual aids (e.g., magnifying glasses) for reading or can no longer recognize small print.
When the disease is more advanced, recognizing people and faces can also become difficult. Because peripheral vision is not affected by age-related macular degeneration, patients can still move around freely and orient themselves within spaces.
Since AMD has important genetic factors that are not yet fully understood, it tends to occur more frequently within families. In addition to having close relatives who are affected, other risk factors include smoking, an unhealthy diet, UV exposure (sunlight without sunglasses), and aging.
With a microscopic examination of the back of the eye, or even more precisely by assessing the retina using optical coherence tomography (OCT), the earliest precursors of macular degeneration can be detected.
Patients can positively influence the course of the disease through lifestyle changes, possibly by taking additional vitamins, quitting smoking, or wearing sunglasses.
In some cases of age-related macular degeneration, blood vessels form from the choroid to the retina (so-called choroidal neovascularization). The resulting condition, known as wet age-related macular degeneration (wAMD, fAMD, wet macular degeneration), is characterized by a much faster progression of damage compared to dry AMD.
For about 20 years, various medications have been used to specifically treat this condition. These drugs are highly effective against wet AMD and significantly slow the progression of the disease.
The medication is administered directly into the eyeball with a fine needle (injection). Although the idea of an “injection into the eye” sounds intimidating, intravitreal injections are described in most cases as painless and not unpleasant.
Treatment for wet macular degeneration must be repeated regularly. In some cases, the disease can be controlled well enough with injections that treatment can be paused for long periods or even stopped altogether.
Anti-VEGF treatment is especially effective when applied in the early stages of the disease. Starting treatment early leads to better results (visual acuity) and also reduces the number of necessary treatments (injections) considerably.
Since patients do not notice the disease in its earliest stages, regular check-ups using optical coherence tomography are an important part of successful treatment for wet macular degeneration.