Finding Better WaysTo Treat Vision Loss (NAPSA)—There may be new — hope for many people suffering with one of the most common causes of vision loss: advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD). : - & AMD is a disease that damages an area of the eye called the macula, which is responsible for central vision. The condition is a leading cause of blindness among older Americans. Nearly 2 million people in the U.S. are visu- ally impaired by AMD, while more than 7 million are at increased risk of vision loss from the disease. Now, new clinical trials from the National Eye Institute (NED may help change that. They’ll compare the safety and effective- ness of two drugs currently used to treat advanced AMD. Theclinical trial of the drugs— Lucentis (ranibizumab) and Avastin (bevacizumab)—will be conducted at 47 clinical centers across the country. It is hoped the results of this study will improve the treatment of wet AMD, a form of AMDthat occurs when abnormal blood vessels behind the retina start to grow under the macula. These new blood vessels leak blood and fluid, damaging the Newclinical trials could lead to better treatment of a leading cause ofblindness. macula and causing a rapid loss of vision. “Visual impairment from AMD can lead to loss of independence and a reduced quality oflife,” says Paul A. Sieving, M.D., Ph.D., director of NEI. “This clinical trial will evaluate whether the treatment burden for patients can be reduced without compromising effectiveness.” Dr. Sieving adds that reducing the frequency—but not effective- ness—of wet AMD treatments would reduce the treatment bur- den for patients and produce a potential cost savings. Getting Involved To learn more about theclinical trials, or to find out how you can get involved, visit www.nei.nih. gov/CATT.
