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Macular Degeneration Treatments
How is age-related macular degeneration (AMD) treated?
There is no cure for AMD. But certain treatments may delay vision loss.
Your doctor can refer you to professionals who specialize in helping people adjust to living with low vision.
Dry AMD
Follow your doctor's advice for having regular exams and for watching the condition at home (such as using an Amsler grid). Sometimes dry AMD can develop into wet AMD.
Certain vitamin and mineral supplements may help slow vision loss. Studies show that antioxidant vitamin and mineral supplements can help delay the onset of advanced AMD. Or they can help prevent further vision loss in people who have moderate AMD. Check with your doctor before taking any supplements. Some can have harmful side effects, especially if you take high doses.
Wet AMD
Treatment for wet AMD can sometimes slow down or delay more damage to your central vision. But in most cases, growth of fragile new blood vessels in wet AMD starts again. And even repeated treatment often doesn't work well over the long term to prevent some loss of central vision.
The main treatment for wet AMD is a medicine that is injected into your eye. This is called anti-VEGF medicine. Sometimes other treatments may be recommended, such as photodynamic therapy. This therapy uses a light-sensitive medicine to block abnormal blood vessels beneath the macula.
Your doctor may also recommend laser surgery, which uses an intense beam of light to burn small areas of the retina and the abnormal blood vessels beneath the macula.
Because wet AMD often causes rapid and severe loss of central vision, it is important not to delay treatment if your doctor recommends it.