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Jordan Pysz / iFoundMyDoctor.com
Kathleen is all smiles because her AMD has stabilized.
During her first year of college, Kathleen Harvey visited a treatment facility for severely impaired children. While observing the work of the many providers, one therapy proved especially intriguing to her. Her fascination became the motivation for a lengthy career. “I really enjoyed watching the speech therapist, so that’s what started me toward that field,” says Kathleen, 71. “I’ve been in speech therapy for 43 years. For a while, I worked with children in school. Then after the school day ended, I went to a nursing home and worked with the folks there. I retired from school therapy in 2012. “At this point, I’m working on call for a couple of nursing homes and assisted living facilities in The Villages®. I mostly work with people who have had strokes or have Parkinson’s disease and are having trouble swallowing and eating. I don’t work that much, just a little bit. I help out when people go on vacation.” About 12 years ago, Kathleen found herself in need of assistance after she became troubled by changes in her vision. Light posts looked wiggly and straight lines appeared curvy. She knew something was amiss, so she visited her eye doctor. After a comprehensive eye exam, Kathleen was diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration (AMD or ARMD), a progressive weakening of the center part of the retina that can develop as people age. There are two forms of AMD: dry and wet. With dry AMD, the retinal tissue gets thinner over time. With wet AMD, the more aggressive form, abnormal blood vessels form and leak into the retina, damaging the retina and leading to vision loss if not treated. Kathleen was initially diagnosed with wet AMD in her left eye. Later, she developed dry AMD in both eyes. “What I notice with the dry AMD is that I lose detail, so when people are standing five feet away, I can see they have eyes, but I can’t see their pupils,” she describes. “Driving at night is difficult as well, so I don’t do that anymore. “During the day, I don’t drive fast or go on the highways. With my work, I have to make patient notes on the computer. But it’s hard for me to see the computer, so I use a magnifier.” Treatment for wet AMD calls for the injection of certain medications into the eye. Kathleen has been receiving those injections since she was diagnosed with the condition. “Initially, I got those shots for the wet AMD in St. Petersburg because I was still working in the school there,” Kathleen states. “Then I moved to The Villages, so my ophthalmologist recommended that I visit Dr. Mavrofrides.”
Geographic Atrophy
Elias C. Mavrofrides, MD, is a board-certified, fellowship-trained retina specialist with Florida Retina Institute. Dr. Mavrofrides confirmed the presence of wet AMD in Kathleen’s left eye as well as an advanced form of dry AMD in both eyes. “People with milder forms of dry AMD don’t need treatment other than vitamins,” Dr. Mavrofrides reports. “But there is a severe form of dry AMD called geographic atrophy, or GA, and that is the form that Ms. Harvey has.” In people who have this condition, the area of weakness (atrophy) in the retinal tissue grows, which can degrade the quality of vision. The vision gradually gets worse. In some cases, people can suffer severe vision loss from GA. However, there is now a medication for this condition called SYFOVRE® (pegcetacoplan injection) that received FDA-approval in late February. SYFOVRE is an injection into the eye that aims to prevent the worsening of that atrophy and slow down vision loss. It does not improve vision or restore vision that is already lost. Symptoms of GA include cloudiness and distortion of the central vision that progresses gradually over time. People with GA may get some pixilation of their vision, whereby they can see clearly in one spot but the spot next to it is blurry. They may start to lose their color vision and have difficulty seeing details. “We evaluate patients to determine how GA is affecting their vision,” Dr. Mavrofrides discloses. “If there is a high risk for vision loss, we start injections of SYFOVRE. The injections can be as frequent as every month or as infrequent as every two months. Most doctors agree that every two months is just as effective as every month and is more tolerable for patients.” While the thought of receiving a shot in the eye may be frightening, a surface anesthetic is used beforehand, so the patient experiences no pain. “Ms. Harvey has been receiving injections for the wet AMD for a long time, and is now receiving injections of SYFOVRE in both eyes for the GA,” Dr. Mavrofrides says. “She alternates, one month receiving an injection for the wet AMD in her left eye and the next month receiving SYFOVRE injections in both eyes. “Ms. Harvey has a strong family history of AMD. Her mom is in her 90s and is essentially blind from GA because there was no treatment for it previously. Ms. Harvey would be on the same trajectory as her mother were it not for the availability of the new medication.”
Courtesy Photo
Jon, who enjoys tending to livestock on his farm, says he sees “pretty good” for having AMD at age 76.
Precious Sense
Jon Simpson earned his undergraduate degree in engineering from what is now the Florida Institute of Technology. He also received multiple master’s degrees from the University of South Florida. He used his education to establish a long career at a company in his community. “I was born and raised in St. Petersburg, and there was a large utility headquartered there,” recounts Jon, 76. “With my education in engineering, I just sort of migrated to that company, where I held various jobs and ended up on the utility’s management team. “Toward the end of my time there, I was responsible for procurement, contract management and warehousing,” Jon explains. “We had a big equipment repair facility that also fell under my umbrella. It was very interesting work. I did it for 40 years before I retired.” Of the five senses, vision is the most precious to Jon, so he was extremely concerned when his vision became compromised due to the development of wet AMD in his right eye and GA in his left eye. Fortunately, his regular eye doctor referred him to Dr. Mavrofrides. “Mr. Simpson has been getting injections for wet AMD in his right eye for years, but he has very limited vision in that eye,” Dr. Mavrofrides confirms. “So, his left eye is his good eye and the one he relies on to see. “Unfortunately, he developed GA in that eye. Over time, he started noticing gradual worsening of his vision in that eye, so we decided to start SYFOVRE to minimize the risk of him losing more vision in that eye.” After learning that geographic atrophy can be a prelude to wet AMD, Jon was excited to hear of the availability of SYFOVRE. “Dr. Mavrofrides and I had been talking for about a year about new medications in development,” Jon recalls. “Then, the FDA approved SYFOVRE. Since then, I’ve received three or four injections, and it’s working fine. “My vision now is pretty good. Actually, it’s very good for being as old as I am and having difficulties due to AMD. I have a lot of faith in Dr. Mavrofrides. I think he’s one of the best retina specialists in the Southeast. I have confidence in him and his skill.”
AMD, GA Stable
The injection therapy Kathleen is receiving from Dr. Mavrofrides has stabilized the progression of her wet AMD and GA. Unfortunately, she’s developed vision issues due to the disease, but there is good news. “There hasn’t been any hemorrhaging from the wet AMD in my left eye for years,” Kathleen enthuses. “Straight lines are still wiggly, and when I look at something straight on, there’s a center spot in my vision that’s hazy. That’s from the GA. Luckily, my peripheral vision is fine. “I underwent cataract surgery and experienced some improvement in my vision after that. I told Dr. Mavrofrides I would take an injection every week if it will stop my vision from getting worse.” Like Jon, Kathleen is impressed with the doctor who is treating her. “Dr. Mavrofrides is wonderful; he’s just marvelous,” she raves. “I’ve already referred two friends to him.”
Dr. Elias C. Mavrofrides: A Visionary Surgeon Making a Difference in Patients' Lives
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