The only proven treatment currently available for the “wet” form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is laser photocoagulation, but a number of patients with this condition are not candidates for the procedure due to the location and type of leakage they are experiencing.

A 2-step Procedure

In photodynamic therapy, the patient is injected with verteporphin, which selectively collects in the abnormal leaking vessels under the fovea, the part of the eye that is responsible for our color vision and ability to see detail. A non-thermal laser is then used to “activate” the dye in the leaky vessels. Because the laser used in photodynamic therapy is less intense than that used for laser photocoagulation, this investigational treatment is believed to prevent damage to the retina and fovea.