Questions & Answers

Personally, I’ve heard that the percentage is quite a bit higher; however, there is no definite number or percentage that can be used to accurately reflect ones chances of developing wet macular degeneration in both eyes. This is because there are so many factors and variables that differ from patient to patient. What is known for sure, however, is that if an individual has macular degeneration, dry or wet, in one eye, there is an increased risk of developing it in the “good” eye.

Below is a link to a 2008 news article about the hydergine research being conducted at Methodist Hospital in Houston, TX. Provided at the end of the article is the contact information for this group. Other than the study referenced by this news report, information regarding the use of hydergine for treatment of dry macular degeneration appears to be limited at present. Since the January 2008 news report, I have found no published update on the progress of this study.

http://www.ivanhoe.com/channels/p_channelstory.cfm?storyid=17857

Cone photoreceptors, which are responsible for color vision, are most dense in the macula; therefore, macular degeneration often affects how we see color. Usually, this results in decreased color perception, and not in the type of vivid color change that you describe.

However, it is possible that you might be experiencing a phenomenon known as Charles Bonnet syndrome, in which people with severe visual loss can have complex, highly detailed visual hallucinations. It occurs in people with macular degeneration, advanced cataracts, glaucoma, and other optic neuropathies. The theory is that the brain is attempting to compensate for the loss of visual stimuli by creating these hallucinations.

You are most likely receiving an injection of either Avastin or Lucentis. Both are anti-VEGF agents, which inhibit angiogenesis (formation of new blood vessels). Avastin, in much higher dosages, was originally developed as a chemotherapeutic agent, to inhibit blood vessel growth in tumors, and has been used to treat colon cancer. The dosages that are injected in your eye for macular degeneration are much lower than chemotherapeutic dosages, but the mechanism of the medication (to decrease and prevent formation of abnormal blood vessels) is the same.

Most vitamins can be cut, chewed or crushed into liquids or food to aid in swallowing. You can check with your pharmacist to see if there are any particular vitamin formulations that should not be modified before swallowing.

There is no evidence that radiology studies with or without radioactive isotopes can impact the progression of macular degeneration.

The symptoms you are describing may be due to a combination of factors. A decrease in contrast sensitivity is known to occur in patients with diabetes, even without clinically detectable retinopathy. Decreased contrast sensitivity has been linked to retinal ischemia (poor blood flow and oxygen delivery to the retina). It can cause the perception of variable vision under different lighting conditions. Daily variability in your vision could also be affected by changes in blood sugar affecting your lens. Your level of visual acuity is likely due to one of two causes: macular edema or macular ischemia. The Lucentis injections may help decrease macular edema, but your vision will not necessarily improve (it depends on how long the macular edema has been present and whether or not there is irreversible damage to the photoreceptors in the fovea). Ultimately, the best thing you can do for yourself is to control your blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels by working with your primary care physician.

Trauma is not a known risk factor for the development of macular degeneration. However, in patients who have wet macular degeneration with choroidal neovascularization*, blunt trauma to the eye could theoretically cause bleeding from the abnormally fragile new blood vessels.

* choroidal neovascularization – the growth of new blood vessels that are very fragile and leak fluid and blood