Those with Suspected wet Age-related Macular Degeneration Must be Assessed by an Ophthalmologist within Days - Hears Medical Symposium in Dubai
Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Older people who start seeing straight lines as wavy lines with one eye should seek medical assessment within days of onset to determine whether they have wet Age-related Macular Degeneration (wet AMD) - a condition which can lead to blindness within a few months if left untreated, said medical experts in Dubai today.
The warning was issued by UAE and international ophthalmologists presenting at a medical seminar on wet AMD, who explained that the condition causes rapid damage to the macula, the part of the eye that controls fine visual detail, leading people to see crooked lines and suffer small blind spots making reading and driving difficult - resulting in permanent vision loss.
Wet AMD is different from of dry AMD, which is a less aggressive condition that causes blurred vision. Together the two conditions affect five to 10 percent of 65 to 74 year olds and 20 to 30 percent of 75 to 85 year olds in white populations [1], and are the leading global cause of permanent visual impairment among people over 50 years old [2].
"In wet AMD people's vision can deteriorate very rapidly and in just one month can lead to vision loss in one eye or both, and in some serious cases can even lead to complete blindness. This is why it is essential for all older people who start seeing straight lines as wavy lines to visit an ophthalmologist for a full eye assessment within days, not months, of experiencing the first signs," said Dr. Manal Taryam, Senior Ophthalmologist, Dubai Hospital, who is President of the Emirates Ophthalmic Society.
"Urgent assessment is very important because if wet AMD is diagnosed and treatment initiated straight away then further vision loss can be prevented and in some case the deterioration in vision that has already taken place can be reversed," added Dr. Jean-François Korobelnik, Director of the Vitreo-Retinal Unit in the Ophthalmology Department, University Hospital, Bordeaux, France.
Wet AMD occurs when abnormal blood vessels behind the retina start to grow under the macula. These new blood vessels tend to be very fragile and often leak blood and fluid which raises the macula from its normal place at the back of the eye causing rapid damage that leads to loss of central vision.
However, treatment advances in the past five years mean that wet AMD can be treated effectively with drugs called anti-angiogenics or anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) agents that cause regression of the abnormal blood vessels, improving vision. The drugs are injected directly into the vitreous humor of the eye on a monthly or bi-monthly basis.
"Follow up care is as equally important as a speedy diagnosis. Patients need to receive injections into the eye every month by their ophthalmologist who will also assess their vision to make sure that there is no further loss of vision and that the condition is improving," added Dr. Taryam, who chaired the symposium.
Dry AMD occurs when the light-sensitive cells in the macula slowly break down, gradually blurring central vision in the affected eye. As dry AMD gets worse blurred spots appear in the affected eye and over time central vision is lost. One of the most common early signs of dry AMD is drusen, which are yellow spots under the retina.
The symposium called "The Middle East and wet AMD" was held at the Hyatt Regency Dubai on December 16, 2010, under the sponsorship of the pharmaceutical company Novartis.
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About Novartis:
Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Novartis provides healthcare solutions that address the evolving needs of patients and societies. Focused solely on healthcare Novartis offers a diversified portfolio to best meet these needs: innovative medicines, cost-saving generic pharmaceuticals, preventive vaccines, diagnostic tools and consumer health products. Novartis is the only company with leading positions in all these areas. In 2009, the Group invested approximately USD 7.5 billion in R&D activities. The Novartis Group companies employ approximately 100,000 full-time associates and operate in more than 140 countries around the world.
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Reference:
[1] Global data on visual impairment in the year 2002: Bull World Health Organ. 2004; 82: 844-851
[2] Nutrition and Age-related Eye Diseases: the ALIENOR (Antioxydants, LIpides Essentiels, Nutrition et maladies OculaiRes Study : Journal Nutrition Health Aging 2010;14(10):854-61
© Press Release 2010
