8 Treatments of Macular Degeneration (and How to Prevent it)

7. Photodynamic Therapy (PDT)

Photodynamic therapy includes the use of a drug called Visudyne. Visudyne is injected into the arm. It is only used in a specific type of AMD called “predominantly classic subfoveal AMD,” when blood vessel growth under the retina is well defined. Light activates Visudyne, so the doctor uses a low-intensity laser aimed at the retina for a minute following injection.

Now that there are FDA approved drugs which block the VEGF protein, PDT is rarely used. This type of therapy helps to stop the progression of the disease and to stabilize vision, but it cannot reverse the damage.