Miracle drugs for macular degeneration

While in many parts of the world loss of vision can occur from infectious diseases, in the United States macular degeneration along with diabetes and glaucoma are the leading causes for visual loss.  Macular degeneration, which primarily affects the elderly, can affect younger patients.  In these cases genetic defects or toxins such as chloroquine may be the cause.

Macular degeneration can be considered wet or dry.  The dry type refers to degeneration of the retinal cells and is often preceded by drusen, round, yellowish deposits that represent breakdown products from the rods and cones.  Antioxidants aid with the removal of these products.  For this reason green, leafy vegetables and fruits, as well as vitamins rich in antioxidants can help prevent vision loss.

Wet macular degeneration occurs when abnormal new vessels form in the macula which leads to leakage of blood and proteinaceous material that can lead to profound visual loss.  Two new medications are now commonly injected into the eyes that are able to cause regression of these abnormal vessels and thus preserve vision.  The problem is that these  drugs known as avastin and lucentis have to be injected repeatedly, sometimes as much as once a month.  Interestingly recent studies showed that patients receiving multiple injections had a slightly higher risk of complications with avastin than lucentis.  This must be weighed against the fact that lucentis costs 40 times more than avastin.  At $1950.00 a vial is lucentis really worth the cost.