Continued from page 2.
New “treatment”!!
The FDA has approved implantable miniature telescopes that get put in your “good” eye during cataract surgery. (But there are trials now testing putting it in later). Your “bad” eye then is used for peripheral vision and there is a extensive visual training and rehabilitation required as you have to learn how to see all over again. This is covered by Medicare.
Wet AMD Treatment
PDT – cold laser – Visodyne – activated medication inside the blood vessels. No scars or burns caused by the laser.
ANTI-VEGF – the standard of care. He discussed the 4 available injections that are Medicare approved. Eyelea also works on platelet-derived growth factor.
Wet AMD Research!!
Researchers are looking at whether starting injections before you have a bleed in a patient’s “good dry eye” when one eye has gone wet.
Orange County Retina is involved in a lot of studies for new medications that include injections, oral, and drops. They were involved in the Lucentis and Eyelea trials. If you live near Orange County you may want to look into this practice.
Rajiv warned about being careful to avoid unregulated trials and non-physicians doing stem cell injections.
A lot of research is centered on drug delivery improvements. Eye Ontarisis – electricity shoves medication through a contact lens
Post delivery – Genentech – Refillable, sustained delivery implant that is refilled twice a year after initial surgery. Capsule is up under the eyelid. He was part of the trial. This was just approved.
Go to clinicaltrials.gov and look for local participants.
Dry AMD Research
Lamplizumab (Genentech) – the injections didn’t show slower progression (Sue’s Lamp stuff she had hoped to try)
APL – 2 (Apellis)
Go to clinicaltrials.gov and look for local participants.
Stem Cell Research
Stem Cell Trials are using three types of stem cells.
Cell-based therapy – Palucorcel – stem cells surgically placed under the retina. Encapsulated cell technology – capsule is sewn to the wall of the eye to release medication.
Opregen is using human Stem Cell RPE cells for dry AMD treatment injected under the retina.
Regenerative Patch Technology (also the name of company) – Using patch with stem cells on top of it to replace unhealthy cells. USC trial showing promising early results and Rajiv is also involved with this one.
Go to clinicaltrials.gov and look for local participants.