Boone woman grateful for drug's ability to stop vision loss
Posted: Tuesday, May 27, 2008
AMES, Iowa (AP) -- It seems no small coincidence that ophthalmologist David Saggau is treating Juanita Welch for vision loss. Her husband, Frank, once ran a photography studio in Boone and took Saggau's high school senior portrait years ago. Now, Saggau takes care of Juanita, to preserve her picture of the world.
Every six to eight weeks, Welch, 86, makes the drive from Boone to Ames to meet Saggau, a retinal specialist with the Wolfe Eye Clinic in West Des Moines. They meet at Wolfe Eye Clinic so he can treat Welch's age-related macular degeneration with Lucentis, a recently approved injectable drug that prevents further loss of Welch's eyesight.
Saggau calls it "a drug that has changed the landscape of retinal care." Lucentis was approved by the FDA in 2006.
Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss in people over 60. "Wet" or neovascular macular degeneration is the growth of blood vessels at the back of the eye. As the blood vessels grow, they can leak blood and fluid, causing distortion and central vision loss. It is the most advanced form of the disease and responsible for 90 percent of all AMD-related blindness.
"New blood vessel growth in the eye is always bad," Saggau said. "It's an abnormal growth process. It obliterates the god-given tissue."
Welch began having vision problems about three years ago. While she did not have the classic symptom of distorted straight lines that can signal the onset of the disease, she knew things were not right.
"Kind of fuzzy is how I would describe it," Welch said. "I was having enough trouble that I couldn't drive, and that is so limiting."
At first Welch was treated with Avastin, a cancer drug that works by targeting blood vessel growth in tumors. Retinal specialists had discovered an off-label use for the drug which worked for wet AMD in the same way, by inhibiting vessel growth. However, Saggau said, it held a risk of hypertension which was troubling in older patients.
Lucentis is injected directly into the eye. Before the dosage, a patient receives antibiotic eye drops, then numbing eye drops, followed by an injection of lidocaine.
Welch said there is little discomfort.
"I have a friend who told me she didn't think she could ever get a shot in the eye," Welch said. "Well, if it's a question of seeing ..." she trailed off, the answer obvious, at least to her.
Lucentis preserves and can even improve eyesight for macular degeneration sufferers, said Saggau.
For Welch, there is no doubt it has helped.
"Oh, yes. Yes. YES. It's a world of difference," she said. "I'm just glad it's effective. I missed reading more than just about anything, and it's nice to be able to do that again," she said.
Saggau said the injections must be administered on a maintenance schedule. "It's a chronic disease that needs chronic suppression."
He said patients may need treatment every four to five weeks, but they may go as long as six to 10 weeks between injections.
Saggau's enthusiasm for the drug points up the wisdom of regular vision care.
"The impact of this treatment has been phenomenal," he said. "Early intervention is so important. The earlier we can treat macular degeneration, the more visual preservation we can get."
Every six to eight weeks, Welch, 86, makes the drive from Boone to Ames to meet Saggau, a retinal specialist with the Wolfe Eye Clinic in West Des Moines. They meet at Wolfe Eye Clinic so he can treat Welch's age-related macular degeneration with Lucentis, a recently approved injectable drug that prevents further loss of Welch's eyesight.
Saggau calls it "a drug that has changed the landscape of retinal care." Lucentis was approved by the FDA in 2006.
Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss in people over 60. "Wet" or neovascular macular degeneration is the growth of blood vessels at the back of the eye. As the blood vessels grow, they can leak blood and fluid, causing distortion and central vision loss. It is the most advanced form of the disease and responsible for 90 percent of all AMD-related blindness.
"New blood vessel growth in the eye is always bad," Saggau said. "It's an abnormal growth process. It obliterates the god-given tissue."
Welch began having vision problems about three years ago. While she did not have the classic symptom of distorted straight lines that can signal the onset of the disease, she knew things were not right.
"Kind of fuzzy is how I would describe it," Welch said. "I was having enough trouble that I couldn't drive, and that is so limiting."
At first Welch was treated with Avastin, a cancer drug that works by targeting blood vessel growth in tumors. Retinal specialists had discovered an off-label use for the drug which worked for wet AMD in the same way, by inhibiting vessel growth. However, Saggau said, it held a risk of hypertension which was troubling in older patients.
Lucentis is injected directly into the eye. Before the dosage, a patient receives antibiotic eye drops, then numbing eye drops, followed by an injection of lidocaine.
Welch said there is little discomfort.
"I have a friend who told me she didn't think she could ever get a shot in the eye," Welch said. "Well, if it's a question of seeing ..." she trailed off, the answer obvious, at least to her.
Lucentis preserves and can even improve eyesight for macular degeneration sufferers, said Saggau.
For Welch, there is no doubt it has helped.
"Oh, yes. Yes. YES. It's a world of difference," she said. "I'm just glad it's effective. I missed reading more than just about anything, and it's nice to be able to do that again," she said.
Saggau said the injections must be administered on a maintenance schedule. "It's a chronic disease that needs chronic suppression."
He said patients may need treatment every four to five weeks, but they may go as long as six to 10 weeks between injections.
Saggau's enthusiasm for the drug points up the wisdom of regular vision care.
"The impact of this treatment has been phenomenal," he said. "Early intervention is so important. The earlier we can treat macular degeneration, the more visual preservation we can get."
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