It’s been an interesting few weeks with regard to macular degeneration. First there was a small study in the USA that indicated that regular small doses of sildenafil (ie Viagra) had a beneficial effect on dry macular degeneration. Some participants found the decline in vision stopped and some even experienced an improvement. So guess who started taking a daily 25mg of sildenafil! And of course it has a beneficial side effect! Lol
Then there was the news that Avastin would be approved for the treatment of wet AMD in the UK. It is apparently equally as effective as Eylea and Lucentis, the manufacturers of these had opposed the use of Avastin. But I was shocked at the cost of these drugs to the National Health Service (NHS).. Each injection of Eylea costs over £800 ($1070) and Lucentis costs over £500 ($670) a time. Avastin costs just £28 ($37) a time. I have now had many Eylea injections into my ‘wet’ right eye. There is no way I could have afforded these so thank you, NHS!
I went to the eye hospital yesterday for another injection yesterday into my wet right eye but of course they also do an eye test. My score for my dry left eye, the one I use as my right has corneal damage, showed a 10% improvement, lifting me well clear of the legal driving threshold here in the UK. Is that a normal random variation – or is it the sildenafil? With no obvious adverse effects of it, I will keep taking the sildenafil.
I noted that when I was being prepared for the injection, that they were still using Eylea. It seems there are still some legal loose ends to be tied up before Avastin can be used. And even then it will be clinical decision made for each patient rather than solely on the basis of cost. Don’t you just love the NHS?
So then I got my injection, quick and almost painless and there once more was my private lava lamp again. It faded quickly though and within a couple of hours vision was normal.
Back again at the end of November.