What are my treatment options .  .  .

If I have Dry Macular Degeneration or Wet Macular Degeneration.

Even with Visudyne Therapy there may be some loss of vision.  However, it's less severe than laser photocoagulation or no treatment at all.  And, Visudyne Therapy cannot restore lost vision.

In Visudyne Therapy, a light-activated drug known as Visudyne (verteporfin for injection) is injected into the bloodstream.  The drug travels in the bloodstream and collects in the abnormal blood vessels, where it is activated by a non-thermal laser (a laser that does not burn the retina).  This produces a reaction that closes the abnormal vessels without causing damage to the overlying retina.

Visudyne Therapy is a multi-course treatment.  The desired result cannot be achieved with just one or two treatments.  Multiple treatments are necessary because leakage often reoccurs and the abnormal blood vessels may return after treatment.  However, Visudyne can be reapplied at up to three-month intervals, if necessary.  A typical treatment schedule for eligible AMD patients is three treatments in the first year, two times in the second year, and one to two treatments in the third year.

1.  The verteporfin drug is administered through an injection into the patient's arm. 

2.  The drug circulates throughout the body and attaches itself to the low-density lipoproteins (LDL).

3.  The abnormal vessels attract and absorb the LDL-Visudyne complex.

4.  The drug accumulates in the abnormal vessels.

5.  A non-heat-product laser is shined into the back of the eye at the abnormal vessels, activating the drug.

6.  The activated drug damages the abnormal vessels.

7.  The abnormal vessels are destroyed.