Can surgery help cure macular degeneration?
Surgery to remove the scar produced by macular degeneration has occasionally been successful in younger patients, but less so in older patients. If the degeneration is associated with leaking blood vessels in the center of the macula, and vision is worse than 20/70, a laser procedure, called photocoagulation, is recommended. This rarely improves vision but generally slows, but does not stop further vision loss. In fact, laser photocoagulation permanently destroys the small spot which is treated. Retinal transplantation is a new experimental approach to macular degeneration, but has been extremely unsuccessful, frequently causing total loss of vision. We caution you strongly against having it done to yourself or a loved one.
Related Questions
- Do you or someone you know have low vision caused by Macular Degeneration, Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), Diabetes, or another vision condition?
- What is photodynamic therapy, when is it used to treat age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and what are the risks/benefits?
- What is age related macular degeneration (ARMD)?