Lucentis is a prescription medicine licensed for the treatment of wet macular degeneration, a serious eye condition that is associated with aging. The medication can help slow down or even reverse macular damage and vision loss. It is injected directly into the affected eye once a month. Side effects can include eye pain, specks in your vision, and blood spots in the whites of the eyes.
Lucentis is made by Genentech, Inc.
Wet macular degeneration is caused by abnormal blood vessel growth in the back of the eye. The blood vessels grow behind the retina, underneath the macula (a part of the retina that is essential for detailed vision). These new blood vessels are not normal, and are weak and prone to leaking. Leaking causes damage to the macula, causing "wet" macular degeneration.
Lucentis is a part of an antibody that is designed to bind to and inhibit vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF-A). VEGF-A is a naturally occurring protein that encourages the growth of new blood vessels (including abnormal blood vessels in wet macular degeneration). By binding to VEGF-A, Lucentis prevents this protein from encouraging new blood vessel growth. This helps to slow down (or even reverse) vision loss and macular damage.
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