Current Research & Treatment

Surgical Therapy
In recent years, intraocular surgery has been used to remove blood and new blood vessels from behind the retina in patients with AMD. While often technically successful, improvement in the visual outcome has not been demonstrated. The Casey Eye Institute was one of 25 clinical centers evaluating this approach in the National Eye Institute-funded Subretinal Surgery Trials. Results of the study, reported in fall 2004, found that submacular surgery was not significantly beneficial for patients with extensive bleeding under the retina or new blood vessel growth. This form of therapy is not generally used except in highly selected cases.

Surgical approaches also include techniques in which the retina is moved, or relocated slightly, to an area where the underlying tissues are healthier. Following the surgical translocation procedure, a laser is used to destroy the new blood vessels in the hope of preventing them from growing back to their original location beneath the center of the macula. Researchers are actively gaining experience with the techniques, but complications are relatively common. Results from larger numbers of patients and more long-term findings are needed to determine its efficacy.

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