More can be done about macular degeneration than most people are told.
The macula gives you your detailed central vision — faces, print, road signs. When it degenerates, that is what you lose. Both forms of AMD are now treatable, and we treat both here.
Straight lines that are no longer straight.
- Blurred or darkened vision in the centre of what you look at
- Straight lines — door frames, window blinds, lines of text — appearing bent or wavy
- Reading becoming difficult even with the right glasses
- Colours looking washed out
- A blank or grey patch where you are looking directly
Distortion that comes on suddenly should be seen promptly. It can mean wet AMD, where the difference between being treated this week and next month is real.
The slow form — and what we can now do about it.
Dry AMD is the common form, ranging from early drusen through to geographic atrophy, the advanced stage where retinal cells are lost. It usually progresses over years, but it can take significant central vision.
Valeda light therapy
Valeda delivers low-intensity light at multiple wavelengths to the retina. It is FDA-authorized, and the only available treatment for dry AMD shown to improve visual acuity rather than only slow decline. No injection, no surgery, and you drive yourself home.
Whether it suits you depends on your stage and on what we see. A detailed retinal examination with OCT and FAF imaging is how we decide — a decision worth making earlier rather than later, because the evidence is strongest before the disease is advanced. Valeda is now covered by Medicare.
Complement inhibitors for geographic atrophy
For advanced dry AMD with geographic atrophy, two FDA-approved injectable medications are now available: Syfovre® (pegcetacoplan) and Izervay® (avacincaptad pegol). They are designed to slow the progression of atrophy. They do not restore retina that has already been lost, nor do they improve visual acuity.
The decision to treat is based on where the atrophy is located, how the vision is in the other eye, and what your expectations are for treatment.
What we recommend
- No smoking
- Eat well
- Wear sunglasses
- Take the latest AREDS formula vitamins
Frightening to be told. Highly treatable in practice.
Wet AMD is when abnormal blood vessels grow underneath the retina and leak blood or fluid. Untreated it causes rapid, severe vision loss. Treated promptly, it is one of the genuine success stories of modern medicine.
What injections do
- Reduce leakage from the abnormal vessels
- Reduce swelling in the retina
- Prevent further damage
- Preserve vision — and sometimes improve it
Medications we use
Eylea® (aflibercept), Eylea HD®, Vabysmo® (faricimab), Avastin® and Lucentis® (ranibizumab), given as an intravitreal injection here in our office.
Schedules are individual. Some people need frequent injections at first and can stretch the interval later; others need a fixed interval. The medication matters less than finding the strategy that controls your disease with the fewest injections required. Treatment burden is a real cost, and we treat it as one.
Protect the vision you have.
Schedule a comprehensive retina evaluation in Vero Beach or Fort Pierce.