Vim & Vigor - Summer 2012 - St. Anthony - (Page 49)

All Eyes on the Future New treatment helps manage macular degeneration by Carla Carwile he’s a painter whose watercolors are frequently seen in Front Range art shows. She’s a vocalist who relies on her sight-reading skill to perform with Denver choral groups. She’s an avid traveler who revels in exploring historic sites around the globe. And she’s not about to let age-related macular degeneration (AMD) stop her from enjoying them all. Which is why Jaye Miller* was eager to be among the first patients treated by retinal specialist Nalin J. Mehta, M.D., using the new FDA-approved medication Eylea. Miller knows, firsthand, how devastating the condition can be, having watched it claim both her father’s and mother’s eyesight. “My first hint I was having problems was about two years ago,” she says. “I was on my computer and noticed that the parallel lines of my document borders were wiggly. When I mentioned it to my mother, she said it was similar to the first vision changes she’d experienced. She suggested I see Dr. Mehta right away.” S Nalin J. Mehta, M.D., is among the first retina specialists in the region to offer Eylea treatment after FDA approval. He performs the vision-saving procedure at the new St. Anthony Hospital. Photo courtesy The Lakewood Sentinel. A New OptiON Having treated retinal conditions for more than two decades, Mehta has extensive experience treating this disease that damages the macula—the highly sensitive central area of the retina. “Over the past 10 years,” Mehta explains, “we have progressed from virtually no options for preventing AMDrelated vision loss to being able to significantly slow the course of the disease, and now even improve vision.” Injectable Eylea, he continues, targets the far more aggressive wet form of macular degeneration (see sidebar), where blood vessels leak fluid and blood into the eye. “Prior to the injectables—of which Macugen was the first—our only options were to cauterize the leaking vessels with a laser, or photodynamic therapy, which utilizes a cold laser to slow the progression of the disease,” Mehta says. “With drugs such as Eylea, we’ve been able to stabilize or improve vision in about 95 percent of the patients we see.” The treatment protocol for Eylea includes monthly injections for the first three months, after which the patient can follow a bimonthly schedule. “The fact that we can maintain drug efficacy but reduce visits by up to 50 percent over prior injectables is significant,” Mehta says. It’s a freedom Jaye Miller plans to put to good use. “Not being tied to a monthly schedule is going to be wonderful,” she says. *Pseudonym used at patient’s request. Get the Facts Some 1.75 million U.S. residents currently have age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and more than 200,000 cases are diagnosed annually. Among those older than 65, it is the leading cause of vision loss and blindness. With the aging of America, nearly 3 million residents are expected to have AMD by 2020. The dry form of AMD moves slowly and often goes unnoticed. The wet form—known as neovascular, given the presence of new blood vessels outside the normal area of growth—causes vision loss much more quickly. CALL Don’t Take Your Vision for Granted To schedule an appointment with an ophthalmologist, visit stanthonyhosp.org or call 303-777-6877. Vim & Vigor • SUm mer 2012 49 http://www.stanthonyhosp.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Summer 2012 - St. Anthony

Vim & Vigor - Summer 2012 - St. Anthony
Contents
Opening Thoughts
Community Connections
Stroke of Genius
A Full Spectrum of Caring
The Breakfast Club
Arthritis Answers
A TV Guide to Radiology
Take Aim
It Might NOT Be Cancer
Colin Firth
Step Up to the Plate
Life After Cancer
Get Dad to the Doc
Virtual Health
All Eyes on the Future
One Summer’s Day
A Family Affair
A New Home for Care
Measuring Up
Ask the Experts

Vim & Vigor - Summer 2012 - St. Anthony

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