Sub-tenon Triamcinolone Acetonide in Age-Related Macular Degeneration as Adjunct to Ranibizumab
Status:
Unknown status
Trial end date:
2011-10-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
In the Western World, Age Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD) is a leading cause of
blindness. This disease was once thought to be a natural part of aging, but recent research
has introduced effective treatments. ARMD is related to the body initiating an immune
response in the eye, as if responding to an infection. Vision is impacted as ocular tissue
becomes inflamed and new blood vessels form at the back of the eye, a process called
angiogenesis. In the more severe wet form of ARMD, blood and fluid leak out of the vessels
and impair the eye's structure and function. Many studies have shown that ranibizumab, a drug
that stops the formation of new blood vessels (an anti-angiogenic agent) can delay damage to
the eye and often restore vision. The investigators believe the best drug therapy will also
stop the inflammation. Triamcinolone acetonide, a steroid drug, has shown the potential to
effectively reduce inflammation in this application. The investigators aim to investigate if
patients receiving a combination treatment of ranibizumab and triamcinolone acetonide improve
their visual abilities more than those receiving just ranibizumab treatment alone.
Secondarily, the investigators will also investigate how often patients receiving each drug
therapy regime require re-treatment and how often they experience further vision loss.