Anti–vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) medications have been a mainstay of treatment for wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD) for 20 years — and for good reason. The medication has dramatically improved outcomes for people with the eye condition.
“Before we had anti-VEGF treatments, we [used] surgery, laser, and other medications to treat wet AMD, and none of those treatments actually improved the patient’s vision,” says Zhiyong Yang, MD, PhD, a professor of ophthalmology at McGovern Medical School at University of Texas Health Houston. “We never saw any improvement before we started to use anti-VEGF.”
Today, anti-VEGF medications can stabilize vision for as many as 9 out of 10 people who have wet AMD — and other retina diseases — according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO). The drugs can even improve vision in about 1 in 3 people.
