This segment is sponsored by Genentech.

AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) —The holiday season is filled with bright lights, colorful decorations, and celebrations with family – but these are not as much fun if you can’t see them clearly because your eyes aren’t in great shape. The critical fact is that many eye diseases that can cause vision loss have no early warning signs, and a comprehensive eye exam with an ophthalmologist is the most effective way to catch them in time. Instead of looking at eye exams as another “to-do” this busy season, consider it a gift to yourself – maintaining your eye health so you can make the most of your holiday traditions for years to come. 

Millions of people in the United States live with eye conditions that can cause blindness if left untreated.1 Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the most common causes of vision loss later in life. 1

DID YOU KNOW?

  • Nearly 20 million Americans have the eye condition AMD.1,2  
  • Wet AMD – an advanced form that can cause severe and rapid vision loss – impacts central vision needed to drive, read, and watch TV. 1
  • Fortunately, new treatments for wet AMD can help improve and maintain vision. 
  • Annual eye exams are key to diagnosing wet AMD and other eye conditions that can cause blindness.4

Wet AMD can be treated with medicine injected into the eye, often requiring injections every one to two months.5 One of the latest available treatment options has been shown to rapidly reduce damaging fluid in the retina caused by wet AMD and provides people the chance to go up to four months between injections.6 

MORE ABOUT MICHAEL AMMAR: 

Michael Joseph Ammar, M.D., is a board-certified vitreoretinal surgeon and partner at Retina Consultants San Diego and a co-director of the clinical research department. He majored in genetics, cell, and developmental biology at The Barrett Honors College at ASU, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude and was honored as the top graduating student in his class. He obtained his medical degree in Los Angeles at the University of Southern California, where he received the Dean’s Recognition Award for clinical and surgical excellence in each of his medical years. His achievements and accolades resulted in his induction into Alpha Omega Alpha, the nation’s highest honor society, and graduating Summa Cum Laude with the USC Highest Distinction Award. He continued his training with an Ophthalmology residency in the Ivy League at the University of Pennsylvania, Scheie Eye Institute, where he served as Co-Chief resident. He then pursued a fellowship in Vitreoretinal Surgery at the famous Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia, the top-ranked fellowship in the country.

MORE ABOUT MALLORY “SKIPPY” R.:

Mallory ‘Skippy” R., a 74-year-old resident of Deland, Florida, was diagnosed with wet AMD in 2022 after playing a round of golf, where he noticed some changes in his vision. The flag where he was aiming his golf shot had a large wavy line on it. At first, he wasn’t too concerned because he sometimes saw floaters and wavy lines. But when he noticed it again during his next round of golf, he immediately went to the eye doctor and was diagnosed with wet AMD the same day. After one treatment, his vision began to clear, and at his three-week appointment, his doctor confirmed that his treatment was improving his condition. He is able to continue golfing, fishing, walking on the beach, spending time with his wife, Carol, and caring for his two grandchildren.

1 BrightFocus Foundation. Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Facts & Figures. Available at:

https://www.brightfocus.org/macular/article/age-related-macular-facts-figures. Accessed October 2023.

2 Rein DB, Wittenborn JS, Burke-Conte Z, et al. Prevalence of Age-Related Macular Degeneration in the US in 2019.

JAMA Ophthalmol. 2022;140(12):1202–1208. doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2022.4401

3 BrightFocus Foundation. Macular Degeneration: Essential Facts. Available at:

http://www.brightfocus.org/macular/news/macular-essential-facts. Accessed October 2023.

4 National Eye Institute. Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Available at: https://www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/eye-conditions-and-diseases/age-related-macular-degeneration. Accessed October 2023.

5 National Eye Institute. v. Available at:

https://www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/eye-conditions-and-diseases/macular-edema. Accessed October 2023.

6 Vabysmo (faricimab-svoa) Prescribing Information. Genentech, Inc. 2023e