A New Treatment Option for Dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Valeda® Light Therapy for Dry AMD
For many years, patients with dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) had few treatment options beyond nutritional supplements, lifestyle changes, and careful monitoring. Today, selected patients with dry AMD may have another option.
Dr. Jean Keamy is pleased to offer the Valeda® Light Delivery System, an FDA-authorized, noninvasive treatment for dry age-related macular degeneration.
What Is Dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration?
Age-related macular degeneration affects the macula, the central portion of the retina responsible for the detailed vision we use to read, drive, recognize faces, and see fine detail.
Dry AMD is the most common form of macular degeneration. It can progress gradually and may cause blurred or distorted central vision, difficulty reading, reduced contrast, or a need for brighter light. Early identification and careful monitoring matter because dry AMD can progress and, in some patients, convert to the wet form of macular degeneration.
What Is Valeda?
Valeda is a noninvasive treatment that uses a technology called photobiomodulation (PBM). The treatment delivers specific wavelengths of light to retinal tissue. Photobiomodulation is designed to influence cellular activity and support retinal cell function.
Unlike treatments for wet AMD, Valeda does not involve injections into the eye.
Treatment is performed comfortably in the office and takes only a few minutes per eye.
Who May Benefit from Valeda?
Valeda may be an option for certain patients with dry age-related macular degeneration. Not every patient with AMD is an appropriate candidate. That is why an ophthalmologist's evaluation is important.
As a board-certified ophthalmologist, Dr. Jean Keamy can evaluate your retina, review your imaging and vision, determine the stage of your macular degeneration, and discuss whether Valeda treatment is appropriate for you.
Your evaluation may include:
- A comprehensive eye examination
- Measurement of your visual acuity
- Retinal and macular imaging, including OCT
- Evaluation of drusen and other AMD changes
- Assessment for geographic atrophy
- Evaluation for signs of wet AMD
- Review of your current vitamins, lifestyle, and AMD risk factors
Valeda has been evaluated in randomized clinical trials involving patients with dry AMD. In the LIGHTSITE III clinical trial, patients treated with Valeda photobiomodulation demonstrated improvement in best-corrected visual acuity compared with sham-treated patients. Longer-term results also reported a lower incidence of new geographic atrophy in the treated group during the study period.
Individual results vary, and Valeda does not restore vision already permanently lost from advanced macular degeneration. It is also not a cure for AMD.
Our goal is to identify appropriate patients early and use available tools to help preserve useful vision, optimize visual function, and carefully monitor macula health over time.
What Is Treatment Like?
Valeda treatment is:
- Noninvasive — no needles or injections
- Performed in the office — no surgery is required
- Comfortable — treatment uses controlled wavelengths of light
- Brief — each treatment takes only a few minutes
Valeda therapy is generally administered as a series of treatments rather than as a single session. Dr. Keamy and her team will explain the recommended treatment schedule and follow-up examinations based on your individual condition.
Why See Dr. Keamy for Dry AMD?
With more than 25 years of ophthalmology experience, Dr. Jean Keamy takes a comprehensive approach to dry AMD management. Macular degeneration looks different in every patient. The first step is understanding what type and stage of AMD you have and how it affects your vision. Treatment is not simply about the Valeda device. Dr. Keamy will evaluate your macular health, track changes over time with advanced retinal imaging, discuss appropriate nutritional and lifestyle measures, and determine whether Valeda should be part of your individualized treatment plan.
You Don’t Have to “Watch and Wait”
If you have been diagnosed with mild to moderate dry age-related macular degeneration or have been told that there is little that can be done other than monitor your condition, we invite you to schedule an evaluation with Dr. Jean Keamy.
We can assess your macular health and determine whether Valeda photobiomodulation therapy may be appropriate for you.
Schedule a Dry AMD / Valeda Consultation with Dr. Jean Keamy today!