Breakthrough Vision Treatment
By: Joelle Parks, WBBH
Updated: January 21, 2013
(WBBH) A new treatment for a debilitating eye disease is ready for use after FDA approval in October.
A Naples, Florida woman was one of the first in the country to receive Jetrea. The drug to treat a debilitating eye disease is now available for the public.
"This drug is really a significant step forward; it's the first drug in its class so it's really unique," said Dr. Alexander Eaton from Retina Health Center.
Naples resident Diane Keen knows the importance of this breakthrough.
"I can't do most things, I can't read, can't drive. Sometimes it's hard to communicate if you can't see who you're talking to, so it's pretty important," said Keen.
Diane has vitreomacular adhesion or VMA. She's one of the first in the United States to receive the Jetrea treatment for VMA at Retina Health Center in Fort Myers.
"It's an adhesion between the gel in the eye and the retina. Why some people get it and others don't, I don't think we really know," says Dr. Eaton.
The adhesion causes pulling in the eye, which can be painful and lead to vision loss.
The drug is the only option, besides surgery, to separate the gel and your retina.
Read more: http://bit.ly/WbJYyE
A Naples, Florida woman was one of the first in the country to receive Jetrea. The drug to treat a debilitating eye disease is now available for the public.
"This drug is really a significant step forward; it's the first drug in its class so it's really unique," said Dr. Alexander Eaton from Retina Health Center.
Naples resident Diane Keen knows the importance of this breakthrough.
"I can't do most things, I can't read, can't drive. Sometimes it's hard to communicate if you can't see who you're talking to, so it's pretty important," said Keen.
Diane has vitreomacular adhesion or VMA. She's one of the first in the United States to receive the Jetrea treatment for VMA at Retina Health Center in Fort Myers.
"It's an adhesion between the gel in the eye and the retina. Why some people get it and others don't, I don't think we really know," says Dr. Eaton.
The adhesion causes pulling in the eye, which can be painful and lead to vision loss.
The drug is the only option, besides surgery, to separate the gel and your retina.
Read more: http://bit.ly/WbJYyE
