Treatment Overview

There is no cure for age-related macular degeneration, but certain treatments may delay vision loss.

Finding out that you have AMD can be very hard. Your doctor can refer you to counselors who specialize in helping people adjust to living with low vision.

Dry AMD

Follow your doctor's advice for having regular exams and for watching the condition at home (such as using an Amsler grid), because dry AMD can sometimes develop into wet AMD.

Vitamins and diet changes may help slow vision loss. For more information, see Home Treatment.

Wet AMD

Treatment for wet AMD can sometimes slow down or delay further damage to your central vision. But in most cases, growth of fragile new blood vessels in wet AMD starts again. And even repeated treatment is usually not effective over the long term in preventing some loss of central vision.

Treatments that may slow vision loss for a few people include:

• Medicines. For more information, see Medications.
• Laser surgery. For more information, see Surgery.
• Photodynamic therapy. For more information, see Other Treatment.

Because wet AMD often causes rapid and severe loss of central vision, it is important not to delay treatment if your doctor recommends it.