الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract Because the prevalence of AMD is associated with age, its socioeconomic implications are becoming more important as the proportion of older people increases in developed countries. However, AMD not only affects people in the older age groups; people over 50 years of age, who are still relatively young and may still be active, are also at an increased risk of acquiring the disease. If left untreated, neovascular AMD will usually result in a poor vision outcome. During the 1990s, laser photocoagulation was used to treat neovascular AMD; However, it is beneficial only for a small subset of patients, has a high rate of CNV persistence and recurrence and results in iatrogenic, collateral damage to the overlying retina. These issues make it difficult to recommend in the case of subfoveal lesions. Consequently, numerous experimental therapeutic interventions are under investigation with the common objective of destroying the CNV but leaving the foveal neurosensory retina intact. Treatment modalities can be grouped into five major categories: photodynamic therapy; radiotherapy; transpupillary thermotherapy; anti-angiogenic and angiostatic agents; and surgical intervention. It is hoped that the combination of preventive therapies, traditional and newer laser approaches, and new pharmacological treatments will result in a dramatic reduction in the incidence of blindness from AMD, despite the continued aging of the world’s population. Certainly much work has yet to be done, but the future for treating AMD has never been more optimistic. |