There are two forms of age related macular degeneration (AMD), dry and wet, with wet AMD being the less common one accounting for around 10-15% of those with this retinal condition.  A person can have dry AMD in one eye and wet AMD in the other eye. Wet AMD, also called choroidal neovascularization, causes more severe and sudden vision loss due to abnormal mini-blood vessels developing under the macula and then leaking fluid causing the normally flat macula to elevate.  Symptoms include straight lines appear curvy or wavy and often there is a blurred, black or gray spot in the center of one’s vision.  Both of these symptoms make it difficult to use one’s straight ahead vision and interfere with reading, identifying faces, and performing everyday tasks.

The standard treatment for wet AMD is regular eye injections using anti-VEGF medications.  VEGF stands for vascular endothelial growth factor.  It’s a protein that in those with AMD is secreted at higher than normal levels in the body’s ill-fated attempt and reaction to deliver oxygen to oxygen deprived retinal cells. The three most common anti-VEGF medications include Lucentis, Avastin and Eylea, with Eylea being the most recent. These drugs serve to help inhibit and block the growth of new, but abnormal and undesirable blood vessels for those with wet AMD and diabetic retinopathy. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals is the drug developer of Eylea. The recommended and standard protocol is …

“The recommended dose for EYLEA is 2 mg administered by intravitreal injection every 4 weeks (monthly) for the first 12 weeks (3 months), followed by 2 mg once every 8 weeks (2 months).”  Because of the cost, inconvenience and common irritating side effects to the eye, the goal of many clinical trials has been to reduce the number of and frequency of the eye injections but maintain the same or better results to the patient’s vision. It appears that goal is making progress for those who are receiving Eylea.

In December of 2017 Regeneron Pharmaceuticals applied for and the FDA accepted a supplemental biologics license application for a 12-week (3 months) dosing interval of Eylea for patients with wet age-related macular degeneration.

Regeneron reported that an “integrated analysis of 2-year results from the VIEW 1 and VIEW 2 phase 3 trials found that 51% of patients who had dosing intervals extended to every 12 weeks at the beginning of the second year kept their best corrected visual acuity gains.”   Increasing the time between injections and visits to the eye doctor is welcome news for those with wet AMD.  To learn more about the different types of anti-VEGF medications and how they work visit:

Wet Macular Degeneration Treatment Using Anti-VEGF Medications

Leslie Degner, RN, BSN

www.WebRN-MacularDegeneration.com