Lasers Fall Short in Preventing Vision Loss for AMD

Ivanhoe Newswire
Thursday, November 2, 2006; 12:00 AM

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Laser treatment came up short in a new study designed to see if it could help prevent one of the leading causes of vision loss in older people.

The treatment had no effect on age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a condition characterized by the loss of clear central vision needed for everyday tasks like reading and driving.

Researchers explain doctors have long believed the treatment, which is targeted toward the buildup of yellow deposits under the retina called drusen, would reduce the chances someone would progress to the full-blown disease.

"For the past 35 years, ophthalmologists have wondered about the advisability of employing preventive laser treatment for patients with large drusen who are at a high risk for vision loss and AMD," reports Stuart L. Fine, M.D., an ophthalmologist at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia who headed up the study. "We found that laser treatment had neither a clinically significant beneficial nor harmful effect for these patients. There is no evidence from this trial to suggest that people with large drusen should seek preventive laser treatment."

The study involved about 1,000 people ages 50 and older with large amounts of drusen. All had the laser treatments in one eye only, so the investigators could compare the progression of the disease. After five years, about 20 percent of both treated and untreated eyes suffered significant vision loss.

Right now the best way to prevent AMD is to take a daily vitamin supplement containing beta-carotene and vitamins C and E, along with zinc and copper. A previous study showed such supplementation reduced the risk of progression from early to late AMD by 25 percent and vision loss by 19 percent. A new study is now underway to see if adding fish oil to the mix could boost those numbers.

And most recently, a report published Monday in the British Journal of Ophthalmology revealed regular physical activity may reduce the odds of developing wet age-related macular degeneration by as much as 70 percent.

This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.

SOURCE: Ophthalmology, 2006;113:1974-1986