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• Wet Macular Degeneration
• Posted: 2007-08-16 21:35:58 By Ann C
• I am recently diagnosed with wet this May,2007. I am getting the Avastin shot and also doing hyperbaric oxygen therapy which my GP feels will enhance the avastin. At this point I will try everything. I am 57. My question is what can I expect. Even with the shot will my vision still deteriorate? What are my chances of my right eye which is clear now of having the dry version> my insurance co is not covering the shot and it is costing a small fortune, I don't know what to do. I am so scared of putting my family into financial trouble paying for this but I also don't want to loose my sight. Can anyone let me know how fast this goes and how long I may be able to work.

• Re: Wet Macular Degeneration
• Posted: 2007-08-18 16:56:54 By Mary S
• Hello Ann
  So sorry to hear that you have joined the wet md group. It is difficult when you first hear the news that you have md, and much more so when the eye goes over to wet.
  Scary to say the least for all who go thru this.
  So I can totaly understand where you are coming from.
  
  First of all let me say,
  That there is no fast and steady rule for the progression of md.
  each of us are on our own time table.
  
  It can hit from no where and take many 0many years to progress, or it can hit from no where and move quite quickly.
  
  Once one eye has gone over to wet, there is a High risk for the second eye to do so within 5 years.
  
  However, again this is not a written in stone rule.
  My own father, had one wet eye and one dry eye for years and years and years.
  
  I have a wet left eye and a dry right eye, and it has been several years, and thus far the right dry eye is holding it's own.
  
  The best person to ask would be your RS.
  And ask him what wet md you have. You can also ask him about the size and number of drusen in your eye, soft or hard drusen??? and you can ask him if he sees any sign of abnormal vessel growth in the better dry eye?
  
  I am very sorry to say, that the bad news is there is no cure at this time/ However many Scientist and RS docs are working hard to try to find the cause and cure.
  
  At the moment, there are several " Treatments" that can be done to try to slow the progression of the disease, and help to maintain your eye sight.
  In some cases, the VEGF drugs have helped to improve vision in "some" people.
  
  I had PDT with visudyne, as , at the time, that was all they had, and it is what the RS recomended. Unfortunately,. I went from 20/20 top 20/150 in one year, 4 treatments of PDT. Then settled down to 20/60. and now am at 20/100
  
  I am not in favour of PDT, as although it is a cool laser, it is still a laser, and depending on where the abnormal vessels lie, it can cause some scarring.
  This is partly what happened to me, and it left me with a large central scotoma.
  
  Some folks, had PDT, and did ok with it.
  
  Today , more often the VEGF drugs are injected into the eye.
  Avastin or Lucentis.
  They are similar drugs, however , Lucentis was approved by the FDA and Avastin did not go thru any formal trial for WET md. It did go thru trials as an Intravenous drug for cancer.
  
  Some RS docs started useing Avastin in very small doses before Lucentis came out. It was noted to help folks to slow or stop the leak, and improve or stabalize their vision.
  
  Again , How many injections it takes is very indivudalized.
  There is a small percentage who have said that their eye dried up with one injection.
  There are also some who had 3-5 injections with good results.
  Then there are those who needed injections for one year. One injection a month.
  Some went for 2 years before they saw a drying of their eye.
  
  If you have insurance, you may want to see if your company will cover a good portion of the Lucentis, as it is approved by the FDA.
  You may be able to get it for less, maybe not.
  Or you may be able to get in thru the drug company, they have a program to help cut the cost of the medication.
  
  
  You may also want to get Dan Roberts book, macular degeneration the first year.
  
  Get a journal and keep it for yourself, about the changes that you notice in your eye, before and after treatments, and perhaps daily.
  
  alo record your feelings, thoughts and so on concerning what you may be experiencing .
  
  Secondly , keep a pen and tablet near by, to jot down questions that you may have for the RS doc, and take it with you. When he/sehe answers you, also take some notes, and clarify what they told you.
  
  It can be a bit nerve wracking going to the eye docs,and going thru all the test and so on.
  worriesome, as This is your vision also.
  The more you read, ask, and know, the better off you will be, and the better prepared to aske all the right for you questions to the RS.
  
  Keep posting, and asking questions. And I wish the best for you. please let us know if your ok
  mar
  
  
  
  

• Re: Wet Macular Degeneration
• Posted: 2007-08-18 17:07:39 By Mary S
• Ps but as far as typing , unless you have one of the machines that you speak into and it types for you, wellllll there is little hope for some of us. eg, Me.
  please forgive the typos.
  mar

• Re: Wet Macular Degeneration
• Posted: 2007-08-18 18:20:12 By Vince M
• Just wanted to add to what Mary said who as usual gave you great info. My personal experience is wet in the right eye treated with PDT with poor results. I have a dead spot in the center. My left eye went wet about 5 years later. I refused PDT and have been treated with Avastin. After 6 shots in about 9 m0nths my RS feels the eye is stable and I have gone 3 months without a shot. My vision in the left eye is good, I read, drive and generally see fine. There is some distortion.
  The Avastin is much less expensive than Lucentis and my retina specialist says just as good. Even without the cost of the drug the procedure is expensive. In my case my insurance did not cover the drug but did the procedure. My RS charged $100 for the Avastin.
  There are a lot of MD'ers out there and a lot of research going on. Read everything you can find on MD and keep up your courage.
  Good Luck