WET AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION (WET AMD)

Course overview

WET (EXUDATIVE OR NEOVASCULAR) AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION (ARMD) IS THE MOST COMMON CAUSE OF VISUAL IMPAIRMENT AMONG ELDERLY PATIENTS IN DEVELOPED COUNTRIES. APPROXIMATELY 10% OF PATIENTS WITH DRY ARMD WILL DEVELOP CHOROIDAL NEOVASCULARIZATION (CNV), WHICH IS THE HALLMARK OF WET ARMD. VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL GROWTH FACTOR (VEGF) DRIVES THE DEVELOPMENT OF CNV, WHICH MAY LEAD TO BLEEDING UNDER THE RETINA, DETACHMENT OR ATROPHY OF THE RETINAL PIGMENT EPITHELIUM (RPE), OR SUB-RETINAL OR SUB-RPE FLUID ACCUMULATION WITH ASSOCIATED VISION LOSS. THIS ACTIVITY DESCRIBES THE CLINICAL PRESENTATION, EVALUATION, MANAGEMENT OF THE DISEASE, AND THE ROLE OF AN INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM APPROACH IN IMPROVING CARE FOR PATIENTS WITH THIS CONDITION.