Approximately 46,000 people living in Malaysia who are older than 45 years old who face heightened risks of getting incurable vision loss as a result of wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) can now be assisted via a new treatment now offered by Bayer HealthCare, reported The Star Online.
According to the article, the VEGF Trap-Eye aflibercept injection method is a new fusion protein that was not too long ago okayed by the Ministry of Health Malaysia to treat wet AMD. The move came on the heels of convincing findings from a couple of Phase III clinical studies.
Dr. Kenneth Fong Choong Sian, vitreoretinal surgeon and consultant ophthalmologist, said in the article that wet AMD is a little discussed “epidemic” among the elderly “population.” The ailment is “progressive” and is a primary cause of avoidable vision loss among the elderly, he added in the article. Despite the fact that it is preventable, he said that “awareness remains dangerously low.”
According to the article, ADM adversely impacts between 30 million and 50 million people around the globe and its the primary cause of severe vision impairment in the developed world. Wet AMD is the late phase of AMD and impacts around 1.3% of people around the world who are older than 50.
The article added that the rate of AMD is Asians are close to that found in Caucasians. The article also noted that wet AMD, which accounts for one in 10 AMD cases, is the cause of 90% of substantial vision loss associated with the eye ailment.
Dr. Fong said in the article that there are still quite a few people who don’t understand wet AMD and the accompanying symptoms. As a result, many people may seek needed treatment later rather than sooner, which could have disastrous consequences since people with wet AMD could go blind inside of three months of getting the disease. People with wet AMD, said Dr. Fong, have could experience difficulty reading books, writing letters, doing household chores and recognizing familiar faces or objects. He added that blindness considerably reduces quality of life.
According to the article, there are two types of AMD, dry AMD and wet AMD. The former can progress to the latter if treatment isn’t embarked upon soon after the disease manifests itself.
This article is brought to you by PreserveMacForte.com.
Reference: http://www.thestar.com.my/Lifestyle/Health/2013/07/01/New-treatment-for-wet-AMD.aspx