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Macular Degeneration Treatments
Clinical studies on three new drugs have shown their effectiveness in reducing vision loss from wet age related macular degeneration (AMD) in early clinical studies. These drugs are Genentech’s rhuFab, Eyetech’s Macugen and Alcon’s Anecortave Acetate. The preliminary studies for each of these drugs have shown that these treatments are reducing vision loss, helping to prevent severe vision loss and inhibiting abnormal blood vessel growth in wet macular degeneration patients.
With the "wet" type, the patient may see a dark spot (or spots) in the center of their vision due to blood or fluid under the macula. Straight lines may look wavy because the macula is no longer smooth. Side or "peripheral" vision is rarely affected. However, some patients do not notice any such changes, despite the onset of neovascularization.(1.) Therefore periodic eye examinations are still very important for patients at high risk.
Rheopheresis treatment is based upon a hypothesis that macular degeneration is a disease of vascular origin. Bruch's membrane is a basement membrane located between the retinal pigment epithelium and the choroid. Bruch's membrane represents a barrier to diffusion of nutrition from the vessels of the choroid to the retinal pigment epithelium. Large molecules, if trapped in Bruch's membrane, would interfere with the flow of smaller, necessary molecules required for the health of retina.