Hope In Sight For Macular Degeneration

(CBS)  People with macular generation have to look at the world through a magnifying glass, CBS News medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook reports.

"These symptoms were these wavy lines — and especially on the periphery of your vision," says macular generation patient Daniel Davison.

Three months ago, he noticed his vision was distorted. He was diagnosed with wet macular degeneration, the most acute form, affecting 1.7 million Americans.

"Well, I was horrified. The thought that you could lose your vision is very, very depressing," Daniel says.

In patients with age-related macular degeneration - or AMD - the center of the retina responsible for vision deteriorates over time. In the wet form, blood vessels grow abnormally, causing a blind spot, distortion of lines, and other problems.

But Daniel is lucky. Doctors have a new drug called Lucentis, approved by the FDA this June. It's injected directly into the eye once a month. After three shots, Daniel has noticed dramatic results.

"Instead of seeing a lot of this squiggling, the lines straighten out," he says.

Two studies out Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine report on patients given monthly injections for two years. More than 80 percent maintained their vision and up to 40 percent actually improved their sight significantly.

"The short-term course, is excellent so far — beyond our wildest expectations, says Dr. Lawrence Yannuzzi a leading macular generation specialist. "We are so pleased."

There's a catch: it's expensive — about $2,000 per injection — although Medicare and most insurance companies cover most of it. And patients may need to continue treatment.

It's not a cure, but it's a blessing for Rochelle Faller. She's had two doses of Lucentis.

"I saw color. Do you realize that color brings joy into your life?" she says.

There are some rare side effects, including severe inflammation, infection and detached retina.

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[gurliegirljq]

i have dry macular degeneration... i also wanted to know if there was any type of cure for that.. or if they have only come out with a cure for the wet form

[mpoerio]

my twelve yr old daughter (now 14) was diagnosed with wet macular degeneration 2 yrs ago. we caught it before she lost total vision but now has 2 blind spots in her left eye. she was so young wen diagnosed. for the rest of her life she will hav to be cautious about sports (she wears safety goggles) and the sun. i can see her face everytime we go to the doctors, a mix of panic and sadness, shes the youngest one there. its so sad to see someone so young to be affected by something so horrible. its terrible to go thru at any age.

[hankharris2]

My mother lost total sight late last year due to wet macular degeneration. Is there any evidence that this new treatment could restore any sight ? Thanks.

[johnskr-2009]

It is not clear to me from this article if Lucentis has been proven effective against the dry form of Macular Degeneration. I know the drug was originally approved for the wet form (neovascular age-related macular degeneration) - the clinical study uses the phrase, " subjects with minimally classic or occult subfoveal neovascular age-related macular degeneration". Can someone please shed light on this?

[ladyagility]

I have had Avastin. It is a drug developed for colon cancer, and it has side effects when used for that. The quantity used for macular degeneration is miniscule by comparison, and locally injected, not systemically used as it is for colon cancer. I personally had no side effects, unless you want to count some improvement in my vision! I was told improvement was more realistic if your damage was fairly recent, and mine was about two years old at that point.

I had a follow-up visit one week later, and at that visit was told the protocol had been changed and in the future the follow-up would be a phone call. I was checked about 15 minutes after the procedure for any additional pressure in the eye, and any signs of a detached retina, but those side effects are related to the delivery method of the drug, not the drug itself. I would feel perfectly comfortable having it repeated if necessary.

[memerider]

I have read that Lucentis is good for all types (wet and dry, I'm assuming) of Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD). This report didn't mention 2 other therapies I read about: Macugen, which when paired with photodynamic therapy reportedly stops the progression of AMD; and Avastin (a cancer drug similar to Lucentis). The side effects are pretty horrific, though. Can anyone comment about how they watch for these so they can stop treatment if damage will ensue?