There are two kinds of macular degeneration: wet and dry. Wet macular degeneration accounts for approximately 10 to 15 percent of all macular degeneration diagnoses, according to the American Macular Degeneration Foundation. In this type of macular degeneration, abnormal blood vessels form under the macula and retina, and these vessels leak fluid or bleed. This affects the center of vision, causing a blurry spot in vision.
Laser Photocoagulation
In this treatment, a laser is beamed at the eye, and the Macular Photocoagulation Study Group found that it lowered the possibility of severe vision loss. This treatment does have disadvantages: the majority of lesions are not small enough to be treated with this option, there is a 50 percent chance that the blood vessels will leak again within two years, and half of patients getting this surgery still have some sort of leakage in the eye, according to the American Macular Degeneration Foundation.
Injections
There are medications called VEGF inhibitors, and these drugs aim to help stop growth of new blood vessels. Drugs in this class include Avastin, Lucentis, and Macugen. The drugs are injected into the eye over a span of time and if this is started when the macular degeneration is still in its early stages, these injections have been shown to slow down the progression of the degeneration and may help with vision, states the American Macular Degeneration Foundation. Possible side effects of these injections include detachment of the retina, an increase in eye pressure and eye infections. Talk to your doctor about the possible side effects and risks of the injections to make sure it is right for you if you choose this treatment option.
Photodynamic Therapy with Visudyne
This treatment for macular degeneration was approved in 2000 and involves destruction of the leaking vessels in the eye, states the American Macular Degeneration Foundation. It leaves the healthy, non-leaking vessels whole and is more targeted in its effects. While this therapy has been shown to be effective in slowing down the progression of the disease, it is likely that multiple treatments will need to be done to prevent recurrence.
Surgery
Macular dislocation surgery is also a treatment option for wet macular degeneration, according to the Mayo Clinic. It is used when abnormal blood vessels are right under the fovea, the center of the macula. The retina is detached, and the fovea is shifted to lay on top of healthy tissue in the eye. This type of treatment is not used often for macular degeneration.
