Macular degeneration
Key points about treatments
If you have macular degeneration (also called age-related macular degeneration, or AMD), there aren't any treatments that will help you see normally again. But there are treatments that can help stop your sight from getting worse, or even improve it.
- High doses of vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene and zinc may help to slow down loss of sight in some people.
- Most treatments for late AMD are only for people with the wet form of the disease (where tiny blood vessels grow and leak in the back of the eye). Between 1 in 10 and 2 in 10 people with AMD have this kind of problem. (To learn more about the different kinds of AMD, see What is macular degeneration?)
- Photodynamic treatment to destroy the new blood vessels in your eye may slow down your sight loss.
- There are some promising new treatments for wet AMD, such as pegaptanib and ranibizumab.
This information was last updated on Mar 05, 2009
This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment.
© BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2009. All rights reserved.
© BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2009. All rights reserved.
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Source: ConsumerReportsHealth.org Copyright © 2005-2008 Consumers Union of U.S., Inc.
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