POTSDAM -- Injections of Avastin, a medication that treats age-related macular degeneration (AMD), are now available through Canton-Potsdam Hospital’s Eye Care Center, Dr. Kris A. VanWagner, CPH ophthalmologist, has announced.

AMD is a vision disorder that can affect people aged 50 and older. Rarely, it occurs in younger people. The disorder affects the macula, the center of the eye’s retina that allows people to focus on fine detail needed for tasks such as driving and facial recognition.

According to the National Eye Institute of the National Institutes for Health, two types of AMD are prevalent. “Dry” macular degeneration involves a breakdown of light-sensitive cells in the macula. In “wet” AMD, tiny vessels surrounding the eye break down and become inflamed, often leaking fluid or blood. People with AMD may notice their vision becoming progressively blurry, or they may notice that colors seem less vivid. Wet AMD is much less common than the dry form; all people who develop the wet form of AMD had the dry form first. Left untreated, macular degeneration can lead to permanent vision loss.

Injections of medications such as Avastin treat AMD by reducing swelling of the tiny vessels of the macula surrounding the retina, and reducing accompanying leakage. Patients usually require a course of treatment over several weeks. Following the first injection, patients must visit the ophthalmologist for assessment; once the success of the first injection is confirmed, the patient will usually return for follow-up injections lasting approximately thirty minutes per visit for several weeks, depending on the response to the treatment.

“Patients need to be seen regularly during this treatment,” said Dr. VanWagner, “and they must have a friend or relative drive them to appointments. I’ve made these injections available locally because I was concerned that patients with age-related macular degeneration had to be driven long distances for this treatment. Now they can get it close to home, which is much more convenient and less expensive than traveling out of the area,” he said.

Dr. VanWagner’s practice team includes certified ophthalmology assistants Stacey Ashley-Parent and Christine McBride.

For an appointment, patients should call the CPH Eye Care Center at 274-9085.