Lucentis approved for retinal vein occlusion treatment

A six-month review by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) resulted in the approval of the injectable macular degeneration drug, Lucentis, for the treatment of retinal vein occlusion. More than one million people in the U.S. are affected by retinal vein occlusions. Those most affected are people with a history of hypertension (high blood pressure), diabetes and atherosclerosis. Retinal vein occlusion ranks as the second most common cause of vision loss due to retinal vascular disease. Patients within the two study groups were able to see an average of 18.3 and 14.9 more letters after six months while the placebo groups were only able to see 7.3 and .8 more readable letters after six months. Lucentis was originally approved to treat "wet" age-related macular degeneration. The drug is not without adverse effects which include detached retina, eye infection, cataracts and inflammation inside the eye.* Elise Ervin Staff Writer