Spencer, Jean L.Tjen-A-Looi, StephanieLim, Perry2025-10-022025-10-022024https://hdl.handle.net/2144/513932024Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a metabolic disease that is one of the most common leading causes of vision loss in elderly patients. The hallmark of this disease is the presence of lipid and protein deposits called drusen that accumulate within the retina, especially within the macula which is responsible for central vision. Drusen accumulation within the retina is natural with aging, but drusen represent a risk for AMD if they increase in size.The early stage of AMD has small drusen deposits but usually yields no symptoms for the patients. For the intermediate stage of AMD, some patients begin to notice blurry vision in their central vision as the drusen deposits increase in size. In the late stage of this disease, AMD can be categorized as either dry/geographic atrophy or wet/neovascular. Both forms of late-stage AMD can lead to permanent vision loss in central vision. Geographic atrophy results from the loss of the retinal pigment epithelium, Bruch’s membrane, and photoreceptors in the eye. Neovascular macular degeneration is due to the growth of new blood vessels that typically originate from the choroid supplying nutrients to the retinal layer. Because patients are more likely diagnosed with geographic atrophy than neovascular macular degeneration, they have a slower progression of vision loss. No treatments for early and intermediate macular degeneration are currently available; however, research has pointed to certain lifestyle choices that can help reduce the progression of macular degeneration. Treatments for neovascular macular degeneration have been out for the past 25 years, and these treatments include laser surgery, photodynamic therapy, and a wide variety of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapies. Combinations of these different therapies are also being investigated to test efficacy. For geographic atrophy macular degeneration, many proposed treatment modalities have been investigated that involve the complement system, stem cell therapy, and gene therapy. Two drugs, Syfovre and Izervay, which target the complement system, were approved last year by the United States Food and Drug Administration. Current research is focused on more preventative measures that can be administered for AMD. Hopefully, new treatments that address the disease progression at its earlier stages may be beneficial in the overall management of AMD.en-USBiologyThesis/Dissertation2025-10-01