Has anyone had Avastin injections for macular degeneration?

What results did you have?

Hi. I just stumbled upon this question with my main account and noticed I had reached my limit of answers for one day and saw that if I waited until tommorow, your question would no longer be available for answering! To give you some background on why I would be eager to answer your question, I work as an RN for five leading retinal surgeons in my state and we currently have the most updated treatments for macular degeneration. Our best and most commonly used treatment is Avastin. With AMD (macular d) you have these abnormal vessels growing in the macular region of the retina. What the Avastin does is removes and helps prevent these vessels from growing and leaking blood and fluid which causes the central vision to darken and distortion around the darkened area. Avastin was initially created for colon cancer as it had similar vascular problems. Avastin is almost never completely successful the first injection. On average a patient will need an injection every two months and I have seen some patients whose abnormal vessels stop growing and breaking for good after two treatments and we have some patients are currently on their 13th injection. The point is those abnormal vessels are stubborn and basically you stop injecting them when they stop growing. Avastin is currently though the ONLY medication on the market that can actually improve their vision, which is a remarkable thing considering the first treatment for macular degeneration was made only ten years ago (called photodynamic therapy) and that treatment can only slow the disease down and hardly ever improve the vision. With Avastin, we can inject a patient and a month later they can read four-five lines better on the eye chart. I will swear by the stuff! We also have a treatment called Lucentis, but it's exactly like Avastin only you must be injected more often thereby increasing your risk of endopthalmitis (very bad eye infection which results in blindness). So if you or someone you know is getting or has received an Avastin injection, they are in the best hands possible!!! Trust me I see miracles with that drug.

Your so very welcome. I'am sorry you must both go through this, stay strong and you are welcome to email me if you ever have any questions! Good luck to you both. Report It