GREENSBORO, N.C. — There's a condition around age 50 or later where you can get a spot in your field of vision. It can possibly grow to lead to total loss of vision. About a million Americans have this form of macular degeneration, and now they have a new hope. The FDA just approved an injectable medicine called Syfovre.
The drug will come out on the market sometime in early March. It does not reverse macular degeneration. It slows down the progression of sight loss.
You'll need an injection every one to two months. And the medicine cost $2,190 a vial. One professor from Duke University helped oversee a clinical study of Syfovre. Dr. Elenora Lad says it's "a game changer" and the "beginning of a new treatment era for patients."
According to a CBS health reporter:
Remember adults with no risk factors for eye disease should get a comprehensive, baseline eye evaluation at the age of 40, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Between 40 and 54, they should see an ophthalmologist every two to four years, then every one to three years between the ages of 55 and 64. By 65, an ophthalmologist should perform an exam every year or two "as the incidence of unrecognized ocular disease increases with age," AAO says.
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