Aga Khan University (AKU) has initiated a new step towards the treatment of age-related macular degeneration, a dangerous cause of irreversible vision impairment, by using a new-generation of drugs called angiogenesis inhibitors, says a press release here on Friday.
According to press release, macular degeneration is a physical disturbance in the retina of the eye, caused by the formation or growth of new blood vessels, leading to permanent central visual loss- Current treatments utilise laser-based therapy to destroy offending blood vessels.
However, this treatment is not optimal since the laser can permanently scar the overlying retina and the offending blood vessels often re-grow, the release added.
New trials have recently been initiated to investigate if angiogenesis inhibitors can effectively inhibit the growth of new vessels in age-related macular degeneration. At the AKU Head of Ophthalmology Dr Azam Ali treated the first and only two patients in Pakistan with this newer generation of drugs, called Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) inhibitors, which are injected into the eye and supposed to stop the proliferation of new vessels under the retina.
Dr Azam Ali administered this treatment to his first patient last year as part of an international trial of this new drug, and has achieved excellent results. The second patient under treatment is also reacting positively to these drugs.
"Macular degeneration has long been considered one of the most intriguing challenges for ophthalmologists," says Dr Ali. The macula, he explains is the part of retina, which is capable of providing the most acute and detailed vision, and is used for reading, driving, recognising faces, and fine work. "The need for newer and more effective treatment continues and considerable research has gone into preventing central visual loss from macular degeneration," says Dr Ali.
Photo Dynamic Therapy (PDT) is another new procedure available for patients with macular degeneration. This still infrequently used specialised laser procedure was only approved in the USA in 2000. Therefore, Pakistani patients with macular degeneration had to go to the United States to benefit from this technological advancement, but in 2002, Dr Ali initiated this innovative procedure at AKU and produced excellent results. AKU is now the leader in Pakistan in the treatment of macular degeneration with Photo Dynamic Therapy (PDT). "We have treated more than 300 patients with PDT with wonderful results which have been presented and appreciated locally and internationally," noted Dr Ali.-PR
Comments
Comments are closed.