Apr 13, 2009 7:19 pm US/Eastern
New Treatments Help Fight Macular Degeneration
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
The severe eyesight disorder called "macular degeneration" is becoming more and more common among baby boomers, but there are new and more effective treatments available to fight the condition, and in some cases, even reverse it.
Sylvia Moore was diagnosed with macular degeneration three years ago.
"If I look straight ahead at somebody's face, I don't see them at all, you'd see a blank spot, a black spot," she says.
The illness is most common in seniors. It happens when blood vessels in the back of the eye start leaking.
"Macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in people over 65," says Dr. Alex Aizman of the NYU Langone Medical Center.
You are most at risk for macular degeneration if you're Caucasian and female. Still, other factors like smoking, obesity, and family history also play a big role. When it's caught early, vitamin therapy can slow down the progression of macular degeneration, and in some cases, laser surgery can halt vision loss.
But the latest treatment is a drug that's injected directly into the eye.
"The medication targets the abnormal blood vessels leading to its shutdown and hopefully to the improvement in vision," says Aizman.
Moore has been getting the injections for three months and is already seeing a difference.
"It's scary when you see a needle coming at you, but it doesn't hurt," she says. "I'd rather have that than blindness."
A new study predicts some 9 million Americans will be diagnosed with macular degeneration next year. That number is expected to double in the next 40 years.
New research out of the National Eye Institute found that a high-dose formulation of vitamins C, E, beta carotene and zinc slows the progression of macular degeneration. The levels of vitamins needed are more than what's found in average diet, so supplements are usually necessary.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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