title: Update on geographic atrophy in age-related macular degeneration.
abstract: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the main cause of legal blindness in older patients in developed countries, and geographic atrophy (GA) represents the advanced form of dry AMD. Although it accounts for one third of the cases of late AMD and is responsible for 20% of the cases of severe visual loss due to the disorder. GA currently lacks effective treatment, whereas antiangiogenic therapies have been shown to be successful in managing choroidal neovascularization, the other form of late AMD. Recent advances in GA epidemiology, etiology, genetics, and imaging techniques have renewed the interest in this entity, which is a cause of progressive visual loss even in treated patients with neovascular AMD. This knowledge has triggered many clinical trials targeting different molecules shown to be associated with the disease, and it is hoped that this research will translate into effective drugs for GA in the near future.
authors.affiliation: Institut de la màcula i la retina, Centre Mèdic Teknon, Barcelona, Spain. biarnes@oo.upc.edu
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Biarnés
authors.forename: Jordi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Monés
authors.forename: Jordi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Alonso
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Arias
mesh_terms: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D020256:Choroidal Neovascularization / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D018450:Disease Progression; D057092:Geographic Atrophy / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000145:classification / Q000150:complications*; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents