Science & Research

There is some early evidence that iron can cause retinal toxicity, leading to the theory that chelation therapy may one day be found to be beneficial for macular degeneration patients. However, this has not been studied in any clinical trials. Ozone therapy for the treatment of macular degeneration has also not been studied in a scientifically rigorous clinical trial.

There is really no concrete evidence as to whether or not vegetable oils versus animal oils can increase the risk of macular degeneration. Studies in the literature have been mixed; therefore, specific recommendations one way or another are not made at this time. What we do know about diet and macular degeneration suggests that continuing to supplement your diet with fish, green and yellow vegetables, and complex carbohydrates (wheat breads, for instance) has been shown to lower risk of developing this disease. AREDS formula nutritional supplements have also been shown to decrease the risk of progression to more advanced forms of age-related macular degeneration.

Retinal telangiectasias are a separate entity from macular degeneration. Did you have dry macular degeneration in one eye and wet macular degeneration causing leakage in the other eye? If so, it sounds like you were only treated with photodynamic therapy. The newest therapies for wet macular degeneration include anti-VEGF injections (Lucentis and Avastin), but you should ask your retina specialist more about your specific conditions and which treatments he or she would recommend.

The answer to your question really depends on the severity of both diseases. For example, current recommendations suggest that individuals with diabetes without retinopathy should be examined yearly, while patients with mild, moderate and severe non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy should be seen at 9, 6, and 3-4 month intervals, respectively. Based on the severity of the dry macular degeneration and whether or not you have retinopathy associated with the diabetes, your eye doctor can provide you with specific recommendations.

Generally, once vision declines as a consequence of dry macular degeneration, it does not improve significantly. Dry macular degeneration causes poor vision as a result of atrophy and degeneration of the retinal pigment epithelium, which is not known to regenerate. However, if you had any diabetic retinopathy that affected your macula, that may be reversible and your vision can improve as macular edema improves.

If you are referring to Lisch nodules on the iris, these do not have any correlation to macular degeneration. Lisch nodules are benign growths on the iris that do not affect vision.

Cataract surgery is one of the most successful and frequently performed surgeries in the United States. Approximately 99% of patients have some visual improvement after cataract surgery. However, no surgery is without risk, and potential complications of cataract surgery include retinal detachment, macular edema, infection, etc. Moreover, in patients with other eye conditions that may limit visual potential (in your case, macular degeneration), removing the cataract may in fact not significantly improve your vision. It is your physician's responsibility to advise you on his/her opinion as to whether or not removing the cataract will help your vision. It might also be helpful to obtain a second opinion from a qualified ophthalmologist concerning your question.

If you are seeing a large black spot or floater in your vision, you should have a dilated eye exam as soon as possible. It could be something as benign as a vitreous floater, or could be more serious, such as bleeding in your eye.

Marijuana has not been studied in patients with advanced dry macular degeneration. There are cannabinoid* receptors in the human retina and retinal pigment epithelial cells, but more research is needed before recommendations can be made for or against marijuana as a therapy for macular degeneration.

*compounds present in marijuana