Bent lines, strange colors may signal ‘AMD’

People who see the world differently with their eyes aren’t necessarily being romantic or cynical. They may be suffering from a serious disease called age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness in people over 50.

But here’s a sight for sore eyes: There’s a new drug called Visudyne (verteporfin for injection) introduced recently by Novartis that can help those with AMD. The drug is injected into the arm and starts a chemical process that can prevent further vision loss.

For 30 million people worldwide who have AMD, the world is a different place. Straight lines such as door frames or posts appear bent while the sizes and colors of objects may appear differently with each eye.

All this is caused by damage to the macula, the light-sensitive part of the eye that gives people their central vision. No one knows why this happens but risk factors for AMD include smoking, hypertension, coronary heart disease, race, sun exposure and a diet low in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

There are two types of AMD. The dry form affects 90 percent of people but vision deteriorates slowly or not at all. In the less common wet form that affects only 10 percent of people, there is severe vision loss in two to three years. This is caused by abnormal blood vessels that form in the back of the eye and block vision.

"As the disease progresses, patients may begin to experience difficulties in performing normal daily tasks such as reading, telling the time, or distinguishing colors and facial expressions. Furthermore, impaired vision may decrease mobility and increase the risk of injury due to falls – patients with AMD have a 70 percent increased risk of falling at least twice in 12 months," according to Dr. Michael Sickenberg of Hopital Ophthalmique Universitaire Jules Gonin in Switzerland.

"Vision impairment as a result of AMD can also significantly reduce the patient’s ability to cope with basic aspects of everyday life and can lead to anxiety, depression, anger, reduced drive, tiredness and confusion," he added.

A new drug that shows promise in treating the wet form of AMD is Visudyne. Though it won’t restore vision, Visudyne stops further vision loss by destroying abnormal blood vessels that cause AMD. The drug is injected into the patient’s bloodstream and is activated by photodynamic (PDT) or laser therapy.

For more information, call the Visudyne hotline at 840-5667 or visit the Visudyne website at www.visudyne.com. PDT with Visudyne is available at the Eye Referral Center, c/o Linda Serenio, 525-9360 to 64.