As soon as the first symptoms appear, you should see an ophthalmologist immediately. The most common symptoms are:

• Loss of central vision, peripheral vision is maintained
• Distorted vision of things
• Deformation of straight lines
• Blurred vision
• Altered perception of colours
• Altered perception of the size of objects
• Difficulty with distance and depth calculation

• The main risk factor is age; it does not usually occur in people under the age of 50, who may develop other diseases with a similar course, although they are infrequent. The likelihood of developing AMD increases with age.

 

• Genetic predisposition plays a fundamental role, it is estimated that 50% of the risk of suffering from AMD is hereditary and if you have a direct relative who suffers from it, the probability increases by 3 to 6 times.

 

• Tobacco use is also a major risk factor, as it multiplies the likelihood of suffering from the disease and reduces the response to treatment.

 

 
Dry AMD

There is currently no curative treatment for dry AMD. However, there are specific vitamin complexes based on the AREDS formula (containing vitamins, various antioxidants and lutein) that have demonstrated in clinical trials that they can reduce the progression of this disease. One of them, the pegcetacoplan, which partly reduces the progression of the disease by means of monthly injections, has been approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), but not by the EMA (European Medicines Agency), at least not in the first instance. This is a prerequisite before the drug can be marketed in Europe.

Wet AMD

In the case of wet AMD, it can be treated and treatment should be started at the earliest possible time after the onset of symptoms, especially if there is a spot in the central part of the eye. This treatment is not curative, but it certainly slows down the progression of the disease.

Intraocular or intravitreal injections of anti-angiogenic drugs are the treatment of choice in this case. Patients tolerate them fairly well and they have a very low complication rate. These drugs inhibit vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF), preventing the formation of the abnormal vascular vessels that cause the disease.

The application of the injections will be periodical and coordinated by the ophthalmologist, who will determine the appropriate number of sessions to avoid flare-ups.