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.
A Lucentis injection is then used and subsequently (after a month) one or two further injections are needed.
A pilot study of 34 patients has already shown a 97 per cent maintenance of vision over a one-year period. The treatment, developed by US firm NeoVista and featured last week on Channel 4 News, is a lot cheaper and also potentially less traumatic to the patient than continued anti-angiogenic injections.
The UK multicentre study has already treated one patient, with two about to be treated.
The trial aims to recruit 450 wet AMD patients. Anyone interested is encouraged to log on to www.kch.nhs.uk/news/archive/2008/novel-sight-saving-device-in-trials-at-kings-college-hospital/