What is AMD?

Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is the commonest form of blindness in people over the age of 55 in the UK.

The macula, the central area of retina responsible for reading and detailed vision, is particularly susceptible to degeneration as we age. Although mild AMD causes few symtoms, if left untreated, progression leads to devastating central vision loss, limiting a person's ability to read, recognise faces, and drive.

There are two forms of AMD: Wet, and Dry.

Wet AMD

About 10% of people with AMD develop the wet form of the disease. This happens when abnormal blood vessels develop in the eye wall beneath the macula. Untreated, leakage of fluid and blood causes rapid deterioration of sight leading to permenent scarring. Early detection offers the hope of treatment to control the disease process before too much damage is done. With time, leakage stops and a dry scar remains.

Treatment for Wet AMD:

We offer the latest proven Anti VEGF treatments for wet degenerations, and this includes Avastin and Lucentis which are now being used in the UK, specifically for wet AMD.

With these new treatments, not only can we preserve your vision, but for the first time we are now able to improve vision, in many cases! These promising and new class of drugs are still costly to manufacture, however they have shown very encouraging results.

Dry AMD

Over 90% of people with AMD have the dry form of the disease. This is simply wear and tear, with no abnormal vessels present. Traditionally, there has been no effective means of improving vision for this overwhelming majority of sufferers.

Treatment for dry AMD:

There is now a new and effective treatment for dry degenerations that can significantly improve central vision: the IOL-Vip. Please click on te banner below to learn more about the IOL-Vip system.