The growth of blood vessels under the retina in wet macular degeneration is fueled by a growth factor called vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Several drugs that can be injected into the eye through a tiny needle have been developed to target VEGF and prevent it from stimulating blood vessel growth. These drugs include Lucentis, Avastin and Macugen.
In large clinical trials, Macugen was shown to reduce the risk of vision loss and Lucentis was shown, on average, to improve vision. Avastin, which is very similar to Lucentis, has been used off-label on many patients and has improved vision in small numbers of patients. Patients who receive injections of Avastin, Lucentis or Macugen often need repeat injections to prevent the recurrence of wet AMD.