Recovery after Macular Degeneration Treatment
The recovery from macular degeneration treatment varies as widely as the results of the treatment itself. Treatment ranges from a wide variety of drugs and medications to surgery. As such, the recovery can be as simple as taking a pill or as complex as dealing with macular degeneration surgery complications. The type of treatment you must undergo will be decided by you and your doctor.
Macular Degeneration Treatment Recovery
There are a number of different macular degeneration treatment options available, and the results they offer can vary widely. The newest macular degeneration treatments revolve around drugs called anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) medications. These medications stop the growth of choroidal neovascularizations (CNVs), which are the blood vessels responsible for the damage caused by wet macular degeneration. These drugs include Macugen®, Lucentis™, and Avastin®. These treatments are still relatively new, and as such the side effects are not widely known.
Macular degeneration surgery options are accompanied by several potential complications, and are only available for approximately 20 percent of macular degeneration patients.
Macular Degeneration Treatment Results
All of the macular degeneration treatment options offer hope of achieving the desired results—sealing the new blood vessels and preventing further vision loss—though each method goes about it in different ways. Photocoagulation and photodynamic therapy (PDT) seek to close vessels through the use of lasers, while macular translocation surgery, which is still being explored, seeks to relocate the macula itself to healthy tissue. The laser treatments have proven effective in slowing or halting vision loss, and the translocation surgery has even shown promise in restoring some lost vision; however, none of these surgeries are suitable for all patients, and candidacy is determined by the location of the damage.
Complications during recovery from laser surgery are usually more a result of the medications prescribed in combination with the surgery than anything else. Though your eyes may be sore for several days following the procedure, much of the necessary recovery will be due to the medications that go along with the treatment.
Macular degeneration medications likewise seek to prevent the growth of further blood vessels and prevent further leakage.
Macular Degeneration Surgery Complications
There are several surgical methods for treating macular degeneration, each with its own potential side effects. Though rare, possible macular degeneration surgery complications can include acceleration of several degenerative eye conditions, such as glaucoma (elevated pressure in the eye) and cataracts (clouding of the lens). In very rare instances, retinal detachment and severe loss of vision can occur as a result of surgery. As with any other surgical procedure, macular degeneration surgery complications can include bleeding and infection as well.
Find a Macular Degeneration Specialist in Your Area
If you’d like to find out more about macular degeneration treatments, results and surgery complications, locate an eye care specialist in your area today who specializes in the treatment of macular degeneration.
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