New AMD therapy offers shorter treatment time

A promising new treatment for wet (neovascular) AMD is being trialled at King's College Hospital, London.

The treatment involves the use of focused radiation in combination with an anti-angiogenic drug. Anti-angiogenic drug use is effective but expensive and requires regular intraocular injections over a long period. This is costly both financially and in manpower resource. The new therapy aims to improve this model by requiring a much shorter treatment time.

Radiation to destroy neovascular tissue is not new but has always had the complication of secondary side-effects such as cataract and collateral retinal damage.

The new treatment is essentially an adapted vitrectomy, explained consultant ophthalmologist Tim Jackson. During the vitrectomy, a controlled beta-radiation dose is aimed directly over the macula, reducing lens exposure to a negligible amount. 'Less radiation than you would get having an X-ray,' said Jackson.