Consultant ophthalmologist and vitreo retinal surgeon, Ian Pearce, reveals more about the latest drug faricimab (Vabysmo), which has been approved on the NHS to treat wet age-related macular degeneration and diabetic macular oedema.
I will pass this information onto a dear friend who is struggling with AMD and getting not much joy from NHS treatments. In fact his treatment was stopped and he has had to go private, which obviously is prohibitvely expensive and cannot be continued after not having such great results. Thank you for this. God Bless.
Thank you for this , i now better understand my treatment for wet macular in both eyes , and what the future may hold for me at present time of 76 years old . From Brackendale B.C. Canada
My wife developed AMD in her early 70's. She has von Willebrand Disease. I would appreciate all advise/information you have on this. I have subscribed. Thanks!
This sounds really great. Boots chemist got me in to Eye hospital Hull Royal within the week. Now had 14 injections still driving hope to do so for a years more
We keep getting such good talks about AMD and this was exceptionally good for me because I rather fancy I am one of the folk who a)was seen late....the GP Surgery didn't refer me when asked to do so for 3 months and b) I respond but quickly accumulate fluid after injection. I find it tricky trying to talk to the people who see me in clinic, my age and general appearance
I was just diagnosed following cataract surgery. Paid an extra $2000 for a fancy lens and never got to see out of it. Had 2 shots now. Terrifying. Especially with Essential Tremor.
As an ophthalmology nurse I can tell you that we have more than a couple patients with tremors or Parkinson’s. If you feel like you need an extra set of nurse hands to hold your head still your clinic should be happy to do that for you
Thank u so much for such great explanation of what is happening inside the eye. I have macular in one eye n I quit injections because I saw no improvement . I retired n have no insurance . Will not be able to renew drivers license.
Hi Virginia, we are really sorry to hear this. Please know you don't have to go through this alone, we are here to support and help you wherever we can. Our Advice and Information team are contactable via email help@macularsociety.org or via phone 0300 3030 111 (Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm)
Is this drug available now to the USA? If I ask my doctor about this new drug in US is it still a study here or is it now widely available in the US to my physician? Thank you.
Thank you for the great presentation. Is faricimab already available in the UK? I know that it's approved and reimbursed, but from what I've seen and heard, the company has not launched it. Manufacturing problems apparently. When will patients finally have access?
Ive had 4 injections with Vabysmo but still had fluid and was told I need another one in 4 weeks, I was hoping for a longer time before next injection. Also read less letters on the eye test compared with when I was on Eylea. Could it be the new drug is not suited to everyone?
We would recommend that your chat to your ophthalmologist about this - they will be the best person to advise which treatment is best suited to your eyes and why - it may be that you're being given this specific drug for a specific reason, but the answer would lie with your ophthalmologist.
Would faricimab be useful in scarring from a retinal bleed? I have been treated for 5 years with Eyelea injections every 6 weeks. I have wet Md symptoms in one eye but both eyes are treated. The bleed was identified but injection didn’t occur for 48 hrs. The scarring from the bleed has caused central vision problem. Norma from U.S.
is it to late if theres already a hole and fluid how long is to long my eye distortion happened about 5 years ago when i was told i had a wrinkle in the back of my eye and now theres a hole
Hi Terry, this treatment is for macular degeneration, which is different to a macular hole. We would advise you speak to your optometrist if you have any concerns about your vision. Macular holes are usually treated with surgery. If you'd like any more info and are based in the UK, you can always call us on 0300 3030 111 or email help@macularsociety.org.
I live in New Zealand tand have macular Avastin I habeen left 9 months 1 month to long 1 wet 1 dry eye .y left eye hasnt come right in 1 injection each month for 3 months I am on the verge of losing my car licence can you suggest something
We are so sorry to hear this. Where you are based in New Zealand, the best thing we can recommend is you keep in touch with your ophthalmologist. You are welcome to contact our team and we can try and help you where we can, but please keep in mind we are a UK based charity so the help we provide may be limited in some areas. Our email is help@macularsociety.org
My mum has this condition and her eyes have become worse. Supposed to have injections every 6 weeks, but its generally every 10 weeks. Never any eye consultants to see her since covid. Last year she had sepsis, and due to infection wasnt allowed a few injections, so we think that has caused eyes to become worse which is really causing her to worry. I hope she can try this new drug.
Hi Dona, if you are based in the UK please give us a call on 0300 3030 111 and our team would be happy to help with nay advice or support you may need.
How did she end up with Sepsis? That must have been caused by sloppy treatment and you may have a case against them for this, at the least you can use that as a suggestion that this is a route you may choose IF you don't get proper treatment immediately. These people are paid out of public funds, even where they are so called privatised. The privatisation is just the middle man getting some of the rake off the public funding that there must be.
Hi, while you may have been told this is what you have it is unlikely that you have an age-related condition at 29. Often genetic conditions or conditions such as myopic macular degeneration can appear similar to wet AMD. We would recommend getting further tests to determine what your condition is. If you'd like more info and you are in the UK you can call us on 0300 3030 111, alternatively you can email help@macularsociety.org
I HAVE ONE WET AMD WITH HOLE AND ONE DRY AMD I WAS TOLD 3 MONTHS AGO NOW IM WAIUTING TO BE SEEN FOR CASTARACTS BEFORE SURGERY WICH IS IN A DIFFERENT PLACE CAUSE MY SURGEON DOESNT DOI CATERACT SURGRY THATS NOT TILL FEBURARY AND MY VISION IS BECOMEING MORE BLURRY I FEEL THE LONGER IT TAKES THE WORSE OFF ILL BE IS THAT TRUE OR IS IT ALREADY TO LATE
Symptoms of both wet and dry macular disease are the same, and can include: - Gaps or dark spots in your vision - Objects in front of you might change shape, size of colour, or seem to move or disappear - Straight lines, such as door frames and lampposts may appear distorted or bent Words might disappear when you are reading If you notice any changes in your vision, please visit your local optometrist to check. If your optometrist suspects you have wet AMD, you should be referred to a retinal specialist at a hospital and if applicable you will be treated within 2 weeks after initial detection.
