UT Southwestern Medical Center offers advanced treatments for patients with age related macular degeneration (AMD). AMD is the leading cause of blindness among people age 50 and older. Macular degeneration occurs when part of the retina called the macula, which is responsible for clear central vision, deteriorates. Patients may have either dry (more common) or wet macular degeneration.

Ophthalmologists in UT Southwestern’s Macular Degeneration Program use the latest diagnostic technologies to treat dry age related macular degeneration. To treat dry AMD in its early stages, they use the latest vitamin and mineral supplement treatments to slow vision loss and also recommend UV protection to preserve eyesight.

For patients with wet age related macular degeneration, UT Southwestern ophthalmologists use:

• Thermal laser therapy (photocoagulation), to seal blood vessels and inhibit their growth;
• Photodynamic therapy, a light-activated drug, activated by a laser, to form a clot that closes abnormal blood vessels; and
• Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) drugs Macugen or Lucentis, to prevent the growth of abnormal blood vessels.

UT Southwestern researchers pinpointed a gene that appears to be responsible for AMD when it has mutated. The discovery provided an important starting point for understanding macular degeneration’s effects and developing new treatments.

Patients in UT Southwestern’s clinical trials program receive therapies years before they become available to the public. Patients should ask their doctor if they are candidates for some of these groundbreaking therapies.