Comment from reader re: PDT and Avastin
I would like to share with you an email I have had from a Radiologist in Australia who has macular degeneration.
Your comments on recent blog about PDT and Avastin seem to be very much true in my experience.
My left eye was repeatedly treated with PDT and over period of about 18 months, my central vision was lost though the neovascularization stopped. When I developed macular degeneration in the right eye, I had one session of PDT together with intra ocular steroid. I had re bleeding in three months when I was first treated with Avastin (that was time when Avastin become available in Australia). In almost 15 months since then I had three more injections of Avastin (at time of repeated bleeding) and my vision is holding on and good enough to let me work as Radiologist (though I avoid doing interventional work and injections). As a patient, I will definitely like to be treated with Avastin (or Lucentis) as I found its result to be more satisfying personally.
related posting
Your comments on recent blog about PDT and Avastin seem to be very much true in my experience.
My left eye was repeatedly treated with PDT and over period of about 18 months, my central vision was lost though the neovascularization stopped. When I developed macular degeneration in the right eye, I had one session of PDT together with intra ocular steroid. I had re bleeding in three months when I was first treated with Avastin (that was time when Avastin become available in Australia). In almost 15 months since then I had three more injections of Avastin (at time of repeated bleeding) and my vision is holding on and good enough to let me work as Radiologist (though I avoid doing interventional work and injections). As a patient, I will definitely like to be treated with Avastin (or Lucentis) as I found its result to be more satisfying personally.
related posting
posted by James C. Folk, M.D. at 11:34 AM
1 Comments:
Dear Dr. Folk,
I'm not sure if this is the correct forum to ask you a question. My mother (age 76) recently had intraocular Avastin injection for wet ARMD in one eye (she does have dry ARMD in the other one). About a week later, she had PDT followed by a steroid injection. The following day, she experienced severe HTN, requiring 2 days of hospitalization! I'm trying to find out how likely it was that the Avastin was the culprit.
She did have pre-existing HTN, usually well-controlled except for during medical appts ("white coat HTN"). Sadly, no one at the ophth office took her BP before or after her injection! (I find this lack of thoroughness hard to fathom, given that the drug can cause hypertensive crisis when given systemically for colon CA.)
The questions now are, "can she safely take Avastin in the future if her ARMD requires further treatment?" "Would switching to Lucentis be any safer, in respect to HTN?"
She is mostly concerned about her eyesight. I'm more concerned about losing her to a stroke.
Thanks!
Indiana
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