| It has recently been found that new surgery | | | | to be lost during the process, causing blind spots. |
| techniques may be able to not only arrest but | | | | In order to clear the leaking blood vessels found |
| also boost your vision and provide you with relief | | | | under your macula with the laser, damage would |
| from macular degeneration (for both the dry | | | | also be caused to the macula along with the |
| macular as well as the wet macular types). | | | | leaking blood vessels. Due to this fact, just 15% |
| But first, let's see the group of people who are | | | | of wet AMD patients qualify for laser surgery. |
| generally found to have AMD. Around 1.6 million | | | | Due to this fact, it is imperative that there should |
| Americans which are over the age of 50 have | | | | be early detection of wet AMD. |
| been seen to have the later stage of AMD. This | | | | When you opt for thermal laser therapy, |
| figure includes people who are afflicted by | | | | abnormal blood vessels are removed by focusing |
| geographic atrophy along with those who also | | | | a hot beam of light on the retina. The procedure |
| have wet or exudative AMD. These statistics do | | | | is generally done once, and shows good results. |
| not include the number of people who have been | | | | Dr. Ginsburg states that a patient's vision is not |
| diagnosed with early and intermediate stages of | | | | likely to improve, but it also won't get any worse. |
| AMD. | | | | This therapy causes scarring, but people are |
| Preserving Your General Vision | | | | unlikely to notice it. This procedure is ideally suited |
| Surgery involving Thermal Laser Photocoagulation | | | | for patients with leaking vessels which are not in |
| has been practiced from the early '70's. There are | | | | the central region of our retina. |
| many who feel that the use of traditional thermal | | | | Undergoing photodynamic therapy (PDT) involves |
| laser procedures for people with wet AMD are still | | | | using a cold laser to activate the chemical |
| the better choice for people with clear and | | | | properties of a drug, which has been injected into |
| well-defined extrafoveal or juxtafoveal macular | | | | you prior to the commencement of the operation. |
| lesions. | | | | This drug tends to stick to your new blood |
| Thermal laser surgery seeks to destroy those | | | | vessels. The drug manages to close off your |
| leaking blood vessels which are growing | | | | leaking vessels without causing any damage to |
| underneath your retina, and make the macula | | | | your retinal area. With this treatment, more than |
| bulge in your eye, which ultimately damages it and | | | | one sitting is generally required, and there is loss |
| distorts your vision. It is seen that this form of | | | | of vision when your doctor shines a laser beam |
| treatment is ideally suited for when these leaking | | | | into the eye. Your doctor will also recommend |
| blood vessels have not yet grown under your | | | | something for the pain you may feel. You will |
| macula, but are found to be away from the | | | | need to do many follow-up visits, and may also |
| center of your macula. The heat from the | | | | need to go in for follow-up Fluorescein |
| focused laser beam tends to destroy surrounding | | | | angiography tests. |
| tissue as well, sometimes causing healthy tissue | | | | |