Macular Degeneration Update: December 2006

IN THIS ISSUE: - NEW VITAMIN FORMULA ANNOUNCED BY NEI - LATEST TREATMENTS IMPROVE VISION IN WET AMD

Last month, we attended the Retinal specialty meeting at the American Academy of Ophthalmology Conference.

Why?

So that we could learn the latest research regarding Macular Degeneration and work on your behalf to maintain, and even improve your vision!

Here is a brief digest of two of the important presentations.

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NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCES AREDS2

Dr. Emily Chew, the study chair and deputy director of the Division of Epidemiology and Clinical Research at the National Eye Institute announced to a packed auditorium of retinal specialists that the Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 (AREDS2) will look specifically at lutein and zeaxanthin, plant-derived yellow pigments that aggregate in the macular portion of the retina. Also to be reviewed with be the omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA, which are derived from both fish and certain vegetable oils.

While the original AREDS formulation was shown to reduce the rate of progression of macular degeneration, the National Eye Institute is introducing this new study to determine if these new molecules will have an even stronger effect.

Dr. Chew states that the research strongly suggests this will be true, since studies suggest that people who eat higher amounts of green leafy vegetables that contain lutein and zeaxanthin and those who eat two or more servings a week of fish have a lower risk of having macular degeneration than those that don’t eat those things at all.

The researchers will also be looking to reduce the amount of zinc because the nutritional experts at the NIH have stated that the body can’t absorb the full 80 mg per day, and 40 mg per day will also have fewer side effects.

Finally, Dr. Chew said that the current study will also evaluate the elimination of beta-carotene for smokers, since this compound carries additional health risks for smokers.

Researchers will enroll 4,000 people with macular degeneration between ages 50 and 85. The study is expected to take more than 5 years to complete.

THE SCIENTIFIC ADVISORS AT VITAMIN SCIENCE ARE VERY PROUD TO HAVE PREDICTED THESE IMPROVEMENTS TO THE NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE FORMULATION. VISIVITE I-DEFENSE GOLD FORMULA CONTAINS, LUTEIN, ZEAXANTHIN WHILE REDUCING ZINC TO 40 MG DAILY. VISIVITE I-DEFENSE GREEN FORMULA HAS A SIMILAR FORMULATION, BUT REMOVES BETA-CAROTENE TO AVOID THE HEALTH RISKS IN SMOKERS. OUR CURRENT RECOMMENDATION IS TO TAKE ONE OF THESE TWO FORMULAS AND ADD OMEGA-3 FISH OILS DAILY. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THESE FORMULAS, VISIT WWW.VISIVITE.COM/I-DEFENSE-INFO.HTML.

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TREATMENT OF WET MACULAR DEGENERATION WITH ANTI-VEGF MEDICATIONS

The compounds known as Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors, or VEGF’s, are found in high concentration inside the eyes of patients with wet macular degeneration, and have been proven to be one of the causes for the formation of abnormal blood vessels below the retina that cause bleeding and sudden loss of vision.

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has now approved two drugs for injection into the eye that block VEGF’s, one of which has even been shown to improve vision!

The two FDA-approved drugs are Macugen and Lucentis. While Macugen has been shown to stabilize vision in wet macular degeneration patients, some Lucentis patients actually experience visual improvement. Therefore, Macugen usage has become less common for the treatment of wet macular degeneration.

Doctors are now more optimistic than ever with respect to the treatment of wet macular degeneration. However, studies have shown that in most patients, the effect is temporary, and some patients may require monthly injections of Lucentis for continued effect.

Most interesting is that Genentech, the company that manufactures Lucentis, also manufactures a colon cancer anti-VEGF drug known as Avastin that might also prove useful in the treatment of wet macular degeneration. Dr. Philip Rosenfeld of the renowned Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami, Florida was the first to use Avastin in the eyes of wet macular degeneration patients. Like Lucentis, he found vision improvement. And while Lucentis costs $2,000 per injection, Avastin costs only $50.00.

Which of these two Genentech products works better?

No one knows. Many physicians are using the less expensive Avastin “off-label,” because it is not FDA approved. But the National Eye Institute feels that it warrants more investigation, and will fund a study to compare their relative safety and effectiveness of Lucentis and Avastin.