Treatment of dry age-related macular degeneration

Abstract

A number of different approaches are under development for treating nonexudative manifestations of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Some interventions target specific pathways that are believed to play a role in AMD pathogenesis, e.g. oxidative damage, lipofuscin accumulation, chronic inflammation (including complement activation), extracellular matrix changes (e.g. β-amyloid accumulation), impaired choroidal blood flow, and apoptosis. In principle, these therapies can be combined ('combination therapy'), which may lead to synergistic effects that include better visual outcome, less likelihood for 'escape' (i.e. drug resistance), and less frequent treatment.