United States: A new study demonstrates that age-related macular degeneration, the primary cause is losing the eye sight and blindness among American seniors, can be better treated with robot-guided radiation therapy.
Study Highlights
Researchers found that precisely focused radiation treatment cut the number of regular injections required to treat wet-type age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the most severe and advanced form of the condition, in half. Their findings were published in The Lancet journal on June 11.
Lead researcher Timothy Jackson is a consultant ophthalmic surgeon at King’s College Hospital in London. “With this purpose-built robotic system, we can be incredibly precise, using overlapping beams of radiation to treat a very small lesion in the back of the eye,” Jackson said.
Key Findings
When aberrant new blood vessels develop behind the retina, wet AMD results. These blood and other fluid-leaking capillaries damage the macula, the core of the retina, leading to sudden blindness.
Wet AMD is typically treated with injections of medications that prevent new blood vessels from growing in the eye. According to studies, the majority of patients need an injection every one to three months to prevent fluid accumulation.
Expert Insights
According to a King’s College news release, Jackson stated, “Patients generally accept that they need to have eye injections to help preserve their vision, but frequent hospital attendance and repeated eye injections isn’t something they enjoy.”
The novel treatment involves treating the eye once with three intensely focused radiation beams that are directed by a robot precisely at the location of the aberrant blood vessel development.
Understanding Wet AMD
After undergoing robotic radiation therapy, almost 400 AMD patients in the UK required approximately 25% fewer injections.
AMD affects over 196 million individuals worldwide. According to their findings, robotic radiation therapy may be able to prevent about 1.8 million injections globally annually.
According to the researchers, the treatment may potentially result in cost savings for the healthcare system.
Professor Helen Dakin of the University of Oxford said, “We found that the savings from giving fewer injections are larger than the cost of robot-controlled radiation.”