Injection Anxiety After a Delay in GA Treatment
After nearly 10 years with dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD), I was diagnosed with geographic atrophy (GA) in the summer of 2023.
Dry AMD patients like me have long hoped for a treatment option. Last year, Syfovre had recently been approved for treatment of GA. I asked my retina specialist (RS) about starting treatment.
Discussing treatment options with my RS
My RS and I discussed the potential side effects. He said a second medication was in the pipeline and should get FDA approval soon. He recommended I wait for its approval.
Disappointed, I accepted his recommendation. I trust my doctor to guide my treatment decisions.
By December, my doctor was more comfortable with these new injections after seeing how well people were doing. I began treatment with Izervay that month.
Life threw me another curveball
My doctor chose an every-other-month schedule for the injections. All was going well until a couple of unexpected crises came along.
My husband had back surgery in March. I called and rescheduled my injection for 2 weeks later. I reasoned that a 2-week delay wouldn’t make any difference.
On May 6th, life threw me another curve ball. I had a serious fall that sent me to the emergency room. I fractured the T12 vertebrae and had numerous facial lacerations. This all happened the night before my appointment; I had so many injuries that it delayed my injection another 6 weeks.
Would the delay in treatment cause progression?
I dreaded my appointment for an injection. I was fearful the 2-month delay in treatment might result in progression.
I explained my treatment delay to the tech as she performed the optical coherence tomography (OCT) scan. Next up was my eye exam. I nervously peered at the eye chart, hoping for the best while fearing the worst.
My retina specialist was puzzled
Much to my surprise, I could read a few more lines with the treated eye. When I began treatment, the vision in my right eye was 20/150. After 1 injection, my vision improved to 20/100 in the right eye.
Now, after 2 injections, my vision improved to 20/50. My left eye lost 1 line on the eye exam. Now, my "bad eye" has better vision than the left "good eye."
My retina specialist looked at my OCT exam and noted no perceptible progression. Whew! All my worry was for nothing. I asked my RS what I could attribute the improvement to. He was as puzzled as I was.
Do some supplements help slow AMD progression?
I wondered if Izervay might have improved my vision. A Google search didn’t turn up any documentation of vision improvement with Izervay. The goal is to slow progression.1
I take 2 supplements that I hoped might help my vision. I have been taking vitamin A for a year after reading that maintaining normal vitamin A levels is "essential for good vision."2
The other supplement I take is turmeric. Researchers are still currently studying the impacts of curcumin, the bright yellow natural chemical found in turmeric. It is a highly effective anti-inflammatory. One clinical trial I read about studied whether it can slow dry age-related macular degeneration progression.3,4
Making an effort to keep my appointments
I may never know why my vision improved. Visual acuity can fluctuate, so my next eye exam may not be as good.
Regardless, I plan to continue treatment and taking supplements. I was fortunate that the delays in treatment didn’t impact my vision. Missing appointments can result in vision loss.
I will make every effort to keep every appointment. I might not be as fortunate the next time I have a delay.
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