One of the senses that suffers most with the passage of time is vision. From the age of 50 onwards, and to a greater extent from 65 onwards, our eyes are more susceptible to a degenerative disease of the center of the retina called AMD (Age-Related Macular Degeneration). There are many subtypes, but basically there are two major forms of AMD: wet or exudative and dry or atrophic. Most cases of severe vision loss are due to the wet form, in which hemorrhages and effusions occur within the layers of the retina, in the macula, that is, in the center of the visual field. However, in advanced stages, both cause blindness in the center of vision, the vision most necessary for daily life. This is the precise vision necessary to be able to read, identify a face, drive, etc.
Detection and treatment
Thanks to research conducted in many centers over the last 20 years, we have obtained molecules that, when injected intraocularly, have made it possible to change the dismal prognosis that the wet forms of the disease have had until now. However, there is still much debate about the best treatment regimen.
At our center, we have spent many years researching all these drugs and the best way to administer them, using individualized guidelines, to achieve maximum visual improvement. Our mission is not only to ensure that patients gain vision, or at least do not lose it, but that this can be maintained over time. The atrophic form of AMD, on the other hand, remains untreated. At present, together with retinal degenerative diseases, it is our unfinished business and our greatest challenge. At the Institut de la Màcula i de la Retina we have been engaged in research into these diseases for years and have managed to test new drugs in Phase I clinical trials in our country. We are currently developing different lines of research in order to achieve an effective treatment as soon as possible.
*This article was published in issue 2 of TheDoctors Magazine, October 2012.