Treatment of Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD): A Brief Literature Review

Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of irreversible central visual impairment in adults over 60 years of age, directly affecting autonomy and social participation.The disease manifests in two clinical forms: the dry form, characterized by drusen accumulation and gradual retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) atrophy; and the wet form, marked by pathological choroidal neovascularization leading to exudation, edema and hemorrhage beneath the macula.While antioxidant supplementation as recommended by the AREDS trials remains one of the few proven interventions for dry AMD, treatment of the wet form has evolved dramatically with the introduction of vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors (anti-VEGF), which can stabilize or even improve visual acuity in a significant proportion of patients.Nevertheless, challenges persist related to high cost, the need for frequent intravitreal injections and variable patient response.Recent gene-therapy studies aim to provide sustained intraocular production of anti-angiogenic molecules, while regenerative-medicine research is evaluating stem-cell transplantation to restore the RPE.Concurrently, artificial-intelligence tools applied to optical coherence tomography promise earlier detection of progression and personalized treatment regimens.World Health Organization data project that the global number of affected individuals may exceed 288 million by 2040, imposing an estimated annual cost of over USD 250 billion on healthcare systems.Integrated strategies are therefore essential.