Your guide to AMD - spotlighting the eye condition for February's Awareness Month

The older we are the greater our risk of developing the condition and as we are living in an ageing population the number of cases is increasing. Around 1 in 200 people has AMD at 60 however by the age of 90 this rises to 1 in 5. 

For Ruth Reddock, her diagnosis of Dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) in 2022 led to an NHS Trust hospital visit where she was simply told there was no treatment available and was discharged. However, a year ago her husband read a national press article about a brand-new treatment for Dry AMD available at Optegra’s specialist eye hospitals in Manchester and Central London. He immediately booked Ruth in for a consultation to find out more, and she received good news at last. Having now had three rounds of treatment over the past year, the results are encouraging – she can now read more lines on the eye chart, and feels her vision is better in the dark.  

She describes: “When I used to go from a bright room to a dark room, I would notice patches in my vision, a black blob which distorted my vision so I could not see well. This has now cleared entirely. Also, I have a bedroom clock which projects the time onto the ceiling, and I could never read the last digit, thinking it was a fault with the clock. But now I have had Valeda treatment, I can see the full digits, so it was my eyes that were the issue all along, and shows the treatment is making a difference!” 

AMD is a condition which affects the cells at the back of the eye – the macular – and typically affects older people. The macula is the central part of the retina that is responsible for detailed vision. It allows us to see fine detail for activities such as reading, recognising faces, watching television and driving. It also helps us to see colour. Early signs of AMD, when the macular breaks down, include a blurred or distorted area in the centre of your vision and straight lines appearing wavy. 

In dry AMD, the more common of the two types, the macula thins and breaks down gradually over time. This results in a gradual loss of central vision, so it becomes harder to read or recognise someone’s face. Wet AMD, less common than dry AMD, is characterised by the development of abnormal blood vessels under the retina that seep blood or fluid and damage the macula. Wet AMD, which can also result in central loss of vision, may be described by a patient as a dark or blurry spot in the middle of their vision or wavy lines. 

The causes are currently unknown, however there are certain factors that can increase risk of the eye condition including age (particularly if you are over 65), a family history of the condition, if you are a smoker, if your diet is low in leafy green vegetables and if you have a disease which affects your heart and blood vessels.  

Whilst there is no cure for AMD, there are treatments and support available to help slow down the changes in vision. Treatment depends on the stage and the type of AMD you have, dry or wet. Treatments for wet AMD involve injections of medicine directly into the eye. Until last year, there was no treatment available for Dry AMD until Optegra Eye Hospital Manchester and Optegra Eye Hospital Central London became the first hospitals to provide a brand-new treatment.   

Valeda Light Therapy is a pain-free treatment for people with Dry AMD which is non-invasive, with no drops, no injections. This first-ever active treatment for Dry AMD is a light-therapy using the Valeda system. Beneficial wavelengths of light in the red and yellow part of the spectrum target the cells of the macula at the back of the eye to re-invigorate and improve their function.   

Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon and medical retina expert at Optegra Mr Sajjad Mahmood says: “AMD is the biggest cause of sight loss in the UK, a condition which affects central vision. And for most of these patients – 80 per cent – they have the dry form of the disease, which until now has not had treatment. 

“It is wonderful for me to now be able to offer some hope to my patients, whom previously I would have only been able to give dietary advice and encouraged them to stop smoking if they did so. We are very encouraged by the results we are seeing so far for Ruth and our many other patients.”