Went to the eye doc and this is what he said.....

[Cinnabon]

Well I have 20/25 on the left and 20/30 on the right. Sounds GREAT, BUT there are vessels growing on both. More the let than the right. He said to try some lazer (570) shots and so,e Avastin. WOW!!!! Did that hurt!!!! Im ok now. Not too sharp, but not bad at all. Im do back next week to get a shot in the other eye. I wish the AVASTIN would last longer.

[princesslinda]

Is Avastin a local anesthetic? I'm sorry to hear you're having to go through all this. It's something I dread for myself at some point. Hope things clear up soon!

[Cinnabon]

Ive been really Fighting this in a tough way for the past year and a half. I recently found a medication I was on, that was worsening things for me.

[xMenace]

You've never had laser before? I'm very surprised. It's the standard first treatment for neovascularization. I've never had avastin shots. What are they supposed to do?

[shockme]

Age Related Macular Degeneration: Avastin (http://www.medrounds.org/amd/2005/10/avastin.html)

[Cinnabon]

You've never had laser before? I'm very surprised. It's the standard first treatment for neovascularization. I've never had avastin shots. What are they supposed to do?

Yes I have had, but a while back. The more you have the more sensitive your eyes get. The zaps together with the AVASTIN is to really try to stop them rom growing back so fast.
A lot of patients usally go back for shots from 4-6 weeks. The usual therapy.

[Gabby123]

They are recommending Avastin Injections to me also. I am not sure I want to take them. The pain seems unbievable to me. I don't think I could stand it. Also the side effects can be very bad. Also they charge 400.00 dollars an injection . They told me no insurance covers this because it is Not approved by FDA to treat eyes only colorectal cancer.Was yours that expensive?

[Cinnabon]

My insurance is state funded by the state of Florida, but it is expensive. I dont find it paifull at all. They usually put a lot of numbing drops to help.Its GREAT it really is. The side effects are not too many, where meds like Kenelog, also used for eye problems, is more dangerous.

[xMenace]

Interesting stuff:

Avastin (http://www.mdsupport.org/library/avastin.html)

Avastin for Wet AMD
by Dan Roberts
Updated February 2007


Off-label use of intravitreal Avastin (bevacizumab) has become a widespread treatment for wet AMD. This is a concern for some doctors and for Genentech Pharmaceuticals (developers of Avastin for cancer treatment and Lucentis for retinal treatment), as no major scientific proof of safety or efficacy has yet been demonstrated for the drug's use in retinal therapy. At the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmologist on October 14, 2005, Genentech presented several areas of concern about the drug’s potentially adverse effects when used intravitreally for wet AMD:

1) Avastin contains no preservatives, so there could be problems in keeping it sterile when it is split up by doctors into the small quantities required for retinal treatment.

2) No pre-clinical trial toxicity data exists for use of Avastin in retinal therapy.

3) The half-life of Avastin is different than Lucentis, in that it clears from the system 100 times slower. This is important for cancer use, but remaining in the retina for that length of time could be harmful.

4) Lucentis binds more strongly to the VEGF protein than Avastin. It is this binding that blocks the protein from developing blood vessel growth into the retina (neovascularization).

5) Avastin contains full-length antibodies, which can cause inflammation. The antibody fragments in Lucentis are 1/3 the size of Avastin antibodies, so they are capable of better penetration through the retinal layers.

6) Manufacturing standards differ for cancer and ophthalmic drugs. Particulate matter must be very low in drugs used in the eye, and Avastin is not manufactured with that in mind.

Phil Rosenfeld, M.D. (who is leading the study of Avastin for retinal treatment at the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in Miami) told MD Support that the issue of purity is not a problem in his work. His lab takes every precaution to have the drug safely divided into the desired dosages for injection, and they have had no safety issues so far. The other concerns, he said, are theoretical, not having presented themselves as problems in actual practice.

In order to develop Avastin into a safe and effective drug for wet AMD, Genentech says that they would have to start at the pre-clinical trial stage. Considering the involvement of time (5-7 years), they maintain that such an effort would be fruitless when Lucentis is already in place and proving its value.

Regarding the large cost difference between the two drugs, the company holds that it should not be a serious concern, as treatment is fully-accepted by insurance and Medicare. Genentech also has in place their "Access to Care" foundation to provide financial assistance to patients if needed.

Genentech strongly states that their decision to not pursue Avastin as a treatment option for retinal degeneration is not financially-based. The cost of such research would be high, they say, but to invest so much time and money trying to prove the dubious theory that Avastin is as good as Lucentis would be counterproductive when there are more important areas that need attention.

Despite concerns about Avastin, small studies and clinical observations have recently shown that intravitreal treatment with Avastin is showing no systemic adverse events and that the drug is showing success in inhibiting neovascularization and improving visual acuity. The general conclusion is that re-treatment is needed at 2-3 month intervals. Three of these studies, presented as poster sessions at the 2006 meeting of the AAO, are:


"Intravitreal bevacizumab (Avastin) in the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration" (Avery, RL, et al, Poster #673).

"Intravitreal bevacizumab (Avastin) for recurrent choroidal neovascularization" (Frederico Graue-Wiechers, et al, Poster #722).

"Safety and effectiveness of intravitreal bevacizumab for subfoveal choroidal neovascularization in pathologic myopia" (Hernandez-Rojas, ML, et al, Poster #673).

In line with the latter study, Elias Reichel, M.D. reported to Hawaiian Eye/Retina 2007 that Avastin has shown good results in a small retrospective case series for treatment of neovascularization from myopic degeneration. 15 eyes studied showed a mean improvement in acuity of 3 lines. Baseline visual acuity was 20/20 to 20/40 in one eye, 20/50 to 20/100 in eight eyes and 20/200 or worse in six eyes. At the last follow-up exam, six eyes were 20/20 to 20/40, seven eyes were 20/50 to 20/100, and only two eyes were 20/200 or worse. Baseline central foveal thickness was 324 µm (micrometers) and, at 10 months, central foveal thickness was 229 µm, for an average reduction of 93 µm.

To read personal accounts of experiences with Avastin treatment, see the Treatment Archives.

[Mich]

Mars, ask him if he can up the anesthetic eye drops. It sure helped me. All I felt was pressure, really. I do agree, the idea was scary and I was petrified but resigned before having it. It worked for me, stopped that new growth in it's tracks.
Mich

[Cinnabon]

will get another AVastin shot in the right eye. He did find some vessels growing in both, more the left than the right. He took care of the left last time. Wish me luck!!!

[Jill-O]

So far, I have had 3 of these injections (1x left eye, 2x right eye). I get another in my left eye next week. It is helping A LOT! I can tell the difference in how I see, and had a set of photos done before the first injection and again yesterday before te second in my right eye. MAJOR improvement!!!

As to the pain -- NO! It has not "hurt" me. They numb my eye. The only "pain" is that they put something in to keep my eye open and the light feels very bright. The shot has not hurt me at all he three times I've had it so far.

[notme]

Cinnabon, What medication were you taking that made things worse for you? That might be something we all could benefit from if you don't mind sharing.