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Wet Macula Degeneration Treatment

Wet Macula Degeneration Treatment
Wet macula degeneration is a condition that needs to be treated if found.

Intravitreal Injections

For patients with Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD), a treatment called Lucentis is now available. Lucentis helps control the growth of abnormal blood vessels and prevents them from leaking. However, it does not repair damage in the retina's inner layer caused by these vessels.

Lucentis is prescribed for patients with Wet AMD, macular swelling from retinal vein occlusion, or macular swelling due to uncontrolled diabetes.

Treatment Stages with Lucentis Injections

1. Induction Phase

In the induction phase, Lucentis is injected to prevent new abnormal vessels from forming and leaking. Improvements in retinal swelling and vision may be immediate or take several months, and monthly follow-ups with your ophthalmologist, including regular macular scans, help monitor progress. This phase aims to stabilize or improve vision.

Alternative treatments, such as retinal laser photocoagulation, may also be used. This laser procedure targets specific areas in the retina, helping seal the leaky and abnormal blood vessels beneath the macula.

2. Maintenance Phase

After vision is stabilized, ongoing treatments are necessary to preserve the gains achieved in the induction phase. Continued Lucentis injections help maintain vision, as the vessels, while inactive, remain in the retina. Should these vessels begin growing again, restoring control may become more challenging.

Options for Maintaining Stability:

  1. Monthly Injections: Regular monthly injections have shown the best outcomes for maintaining vision gained in the induction phase.

  2. Extended Injection Intervals: Often, the interval between injections can be extended to 6–8 weeks, with minimal risk. Patients should monitor for any vision changes and continue regular macular scans to catch early vessel reactivation. If growth resumes, monthly injections are reinstated.

  3. Monthly Review: A monthly eye exam with macular scans can ensure early detection of any reactivation. If abnormal vessel activity is detected, injections will resume promptly.