Macular degeneration
A common eye condition that blurs the middle of your vision, while the edges usually stay clear.1 It can make reading, driving and recognising faces hard, and straight lines may look wavy.2 The wet type can be treated with injections into the eye, but the dry type has no treatment yet.3 It usually first affects people in their 50s, and it is linked to smoking and to AMD in the family.1
Read more about Macular degenerationTrial-stage treatments and research studies you can join
Filters
- Tests transplanted retina cells made from patients' own blood for dry macular degeneration
Tests retina cells made from own blood, placed in the eye, in dry macular degeneration.
Baltimore, United StatesAlso BethesdaAge 55 to 95 - Tests GAL-101 eye drops for dry-form macular degeneration with retinal atrophy
Tests GAL-101 eye drops against placebo in adults with early retinal atrophy from macular degeneration.
Beverly Hills, United StatesAlso Hagerstown, Walnut CreekAge 55 to 64 - Tests FWY003 against placebo in people with geographic atrophy from macular degeneration
Tests FWY003 or placebo in adults over 50 with macular degeneration-related geographic atrophy.
Bellaire, United StatesAlso Boston, Boynton Beach, Deerfield Beach, Erie, Houston, Huntington Beach, Katy, Metairie, …Age 50+ - Tests pozelimab and cemdisiran in adults with geographic atrophy from macular degeneration
Tests two experimental injected drugs against placebo in adults with advanced macular degeneration.
Abilene, United StatesAlso Albuquerque, Asheville, Augusta, Aurora, Austin, Baltimore, Bellaire, Bethlehem, …Age 50 to 85 - AIV007 Injected Around the Eye for Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration, Compared With Eylea
Tests AIV007 injected near the eye in adults with wet macular degeneration.
McAllen, United StatesAlso TorranceAge 50 to 85 - Long-term safety of an eye injection for geographic atrophy from macular degeneration
Checks long-term safety of an eye injection, JNJ-81201887, in adults with geographic atrophy.
Asheville, United StatesAlso Austin, Baltimore, Beaufort, Boston, Carmel, Chevy Chase, Cincinnati, Cleveland, …Age 60+ - Safety of C.001 injection for retinal pigment epithelium related macular disease
Tests the safety of C.001, injected under the retina, in adults with macular degeneration.
Beverly Hills, United StatesAlso Palo Alto, SacramentoAge 18+ - Tests gene therapy surabgene lomparvovec against ranibizumab in wet macular degeneration
Tests surabgene lomparvovec, a gene therapy, in adults with wet age-related macular degeneration.
Abilene, United StatesAlso Augusta, Austin, Baltimore, Bluffton, Burleson, Campbell, Carmel, Charleston, …Age 50+ - Long-term safety of an implant delivering ranibizumab for wet macular degeneration
Follows people with wet age-related macular degeneration using a ranibizumab eye implant long term.
Albuquerque, United StatesAlso Arlington, Augusta, Austin, Bakersfield, Baltimore, Bellaire, Beverly Hills, Bloomfield, …Age 50+ - Eye Imaging to Study Photoreceptor Damage in Geographic Atrophy
Tests whether combined eye scans link retina changes to vision in geographic atrophy.
Madison, United StatesAge 50+ - Testing RO7965032 for geographic atrophy caused by age-related macular degeneration
Tests RO7965032 against a placebo in people with geographic atrophy from macular degeneration.
Arlington, United StatesAlso Erie, Lynchburg, Walnut Creek, Winston-SalemAge 50+ - Eye drops before eye injections to limit pressure rise in retinal disease
Tests apraclonidine drops before injections in adults with retinal disease, checking eye pressure.
Easton, United StatesAge 18+ - Tests remigromig eye injections in adults with wet macular degeneration or BRVO
Tests remigromig, given as eye injections, in adults with wet macular degeneration or BRVO.
Abilene, United StatesAlso Amarillo, Asheville, Austin, Bellaire, Bloomfield, Burleson, Cary, Charleston, …Age 18+ - Tests SAR446597 injection for geographic atrophy from age-related macular degeneration
Tests a one-time eye injection of SAR446597 in people with geographic atrophy from macular degeneration.
Arlington, United StatesAlso Augusta, Austin, Bellaire, Bethlehem, Beverly Hills, Chevy Chase, Dallas, Encino, …Age 60+ - Tests 4D-150 eye injection against aflibercept in age-related macular degeneration
Compares one 4D-150 eye injection with aflibercept in adults with wet macular degeneration.
Amarillo, United StatesAlso Austin, Baltimore, Bloomfield, Bluffton, Campbell, Carmel, Cary, Cincinnati, …Age 50+ - Tests stem cell exosomes given by nose for optic nerve damage
Tests stem cell exosomes given into the nose in people with non-arteritic ischemic optic neuropathy.
Naples, United States - CTx001 gene treatment for geographic atrophy from age-related macular degeneration
Tests CTx001, given as one injection under the retina, in geographic atrophy.
Carmel, United StatesAlso Dallas, La Crosse, RenoAge 55+ - Tests OpRegen cell therapy in people with geographic atrophy from macular degeneration
Tests OpRegen, a cell therapy delivered under the retina, in adults with geographic atrophy.
Austin, United StatesAlso Baltimore, Bellaire, Beverly Hills, Blue Ash, Durham, Lynchburg, Nashville, Philadelphia, …Age 50+ - Comparing ABP 938 With Aflibercept Eye Injections for Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Compares ABP 938 8 mg with aflibercept 8 mg for vision in neovascular macular degeneration.
Albuquerque, United StatesAlso Arlington, Austin, Baltimore, Beaufort, Bellaire, Bellevue, Bloomfield, Boston, …Age 50+ - Testing the Safety of EYC-0305 Eye Injections in Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Tests the safety of EYC-0305 eye injections in people with wet macular degeneration.
Bellaire, United StatesAlso Beverly Hills, Erie, McAllen, Modesto, The Woodlands, Wake ForestAge 50+
Where treatment stands
There is no cure for AMD, but treatment can help slow down changes in vision, and for wet AMD it may slow or stop further vision loss.
Where research stands now
On 11 November 2026, 259 trials and studies of macular degeneration were open. That day, 171 treatments were being tested in people, 48 of them in phase 3, the last large trials before approval. From 5 November 2025 to 11 November 2026, PubMed listed 71 treatment studies in people, 117 in animals and 26 in the lab. On 11 November 2026, 8 medicines had a US approval and 6 an EU approval for it; bevacizumab got its first EU approval in May 2024. Public health pages say there is no cure.
We found 8 medicines approved for macular degeneration in the EU, the US, Switzerland or France, and 24 being tested in people.
Approved: 8
Officially approved for this disease in the EU, the US, Switzerland or France.
Human testing stage: 24
Being tested in people. Many treatments at this stage are never approved.
Animal testing stage: 4
Worked in animals in a study published in the last 12 months. Most treatments at this stage never reach people.
Lab research stage: 3
Worked on cells in the lab in a study published in the last 12 months. Most early ideas never reach people.
Placebo: a dummy treatment without the medicine, used for comparison.
Phase 1, 2, 3: the steps of testing in people. Phase 1 checks safety, phase 3 is the last step before approval.
The EU medicines agency (EMA) and its list of medicines in the EU, US prescribing labels (DailyMed, openFDA), the Swiss medicines register (Swissmedic), the French medicines database (ANSM) and the Health Canada drug database, checked on 11 November 2026. Every medicine links to its own official text.
A computer made this list from the official texts: it kept only medicines whose own approval text names the disease, wrote "Who it is for" from that text and checked it against the text a second time. People have not reviewed it yet.
The trials: ClinicalTrials.gov and the EU trials register, as copied into our trial database, checked on 12 November 2026. Every treatment in trials links to its own trial records; the texts are written by AI from them and checked against them by a second AI. People have not reviewed them yet. Placebo, standard medicines used for comparison and procedures are left out.
Phase 3 trials are listed from every country; only some phase 2 trials are listed, so 25 other open phase 2 trials are not listed.
Animal and lab research: studies listed in PubMed and published in the 12 months before 12 November 2026, found by a search for macular degeneration. AI chose the treatments from the study summaries and wrote the texts; a second AI checked each one against its study summary. People have not reviewed them yet. Treatments already in the approved or human testing lists are left out. A result in animals or cells does not show that a treatment works in people.
Not medical advice. Talk to your doctor before you change any treatment.
Support organisations
Patient organisations and helplines in United States, for you and your family.
Macular degeneration organisations in United States
- American Macular Degeneration Foundation
US nonprofit helping people learn about and live with age-related macular degeneration, and supporting research.
- BrightFocus Foundation
US nonprofit that funds research and provides public information on Alzheimer's disease, macular degeneration and glaucoma.
- Foundation Fighting Blindness
US nonprofit driving research for inherited retinal diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration, with patient information.
- Macular Degeneration Association
US non-profit offering people with age-related macular degeneration education, videos, brochures, a newsletter, conferences and coping resources.
- MD Support (Macular Degeneration Support Inc)
US nonprofit offering free information, personal assistance, guides and support-group resources for people with macular degeneration and related retinal diseases.
- Prevent Blindness
US volunteer eye health and safety organization offering information and programs on glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and more.
General support in United States
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
US national 24/7 free and confidential lifeline for anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress, reachable by calling or texting 988 or by chat.
- MedlinePlus
Free, easy-to-read health information service of the US National Library of Medicine (NIH) on diseases, conditions, drugs and wellness.
International organisations
Offer tissue or data
There are three ways to help research move faster.
Treatments approved outside the EU
Medicines for Macular degeneration approved in the US or Japan that are not approved in the EU.
Checked on 11 Nov 2026 in the official lists of the US (FDA), Japan (PMDA, approvals since April 2004) and the EU (EMA). 1 uncertain match is left out.
Your health insurer may pay part of the cost, sometimes all of it. This depends on your insurer, your plan and the country, so always ask your insurer before you go. For planned care in the EU, the EEA and Switzerland, ask about form S2.
“Miracle cure” fact checker
Social media spreads misinformation. Paste what you read here, and we'll tell you whether there is scientific evidence behind it.
What you paste is checked with AI (Anthropic, USA) and is not stored. Please leave out names and other personal details.
Before you pay for anything, ask three things
- Is there a published study in people?
- Can I have the full price in writing?
- What does my doctor say?
“Cures” others already fact-checked
- Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) & Macular degeneration
- Curcumin (turmeric) & Macular degeneration
- Stem cell treatment & Macular degeneration
- CBD (cannabidiol) & Macular degeneration
About Macular degeneration
A common eye condition that blurs the middle of your vision, while the edges usually stay clear.1 It can make reading, driving and recognising faces hard, and straight lines may look wavy.2 The wet type can be treated with injections into the eye, but the dry type has no treatment yet.3 It usually first affects people in their 50s, and it is linked to smoking and to AMD in the family.1
What is it?
AMD damages the macula, the part of the retina at the back of the eye that gives you sharp, detailed sight.4,5 The middle of your vision becomes blurred, while the edges usually stay.1,2 In dry AMD, the more common type, the macula slowly thins with age.4 In wet AMD, abnormal blood vessels grow under the macula and often leak, and the damage comes more quickly.4,5 Dry AMD can sometimes turn into wet AMD.4
It usually first affects people in their 50s, and the risk rises with age.1,4 The exact cause is not known, but it is linked to smoking, high blood pressure, being overweight and having AMD in the family.1
The first signs
It can affect one eye or both.2 It does not hurt, and your eyes look the same.2
- a blurred or distorted patch in the middle of their vision;2
- straight lines that look wavy or crooked;2,4
- trouble reading, watching TV or recognising faces;2
- being more sensitive to bright light, or colours that look dimmer;2,4
- flickering lights, or seeing things that are not there.2
It is sometimes found at a routine eye test before you notice anything.2
How doctors find out
An optician (optometrist) looks at the back of your eyes with a microscope and a light, sometimes after drops that widen the pupils.5,4 If they think you may have AMD, they may refer you to an eye doctor (ophthalmologist) or specialist service, and you should be referred within 1 week; you may have more tests, such as a scan of the back of your eyes.5
Current treatment
Wet AMD is treated with anti-VEGF medicine injected into the eye, sometimes with light treatment, while dry AMD has no treatment yet and is managed with low vision support.Source: NHS
Will it get worse?
It does not take away all your sight, but it can make everyday tasks such as reading hard.1 Without treatment, vision may slowly get worse over several years, and sometimes much faster, over weeks or months.1 Dry AMD usually gets worse slowly; wet AMD can damage the macula quickly, sometimes within days or weeks.4,5
Medicines: what helps, and what to watch for
Wet AMD is treated with a medicine injected into the eye (anti-VEGF).3,4 It may slow or stop the loss of sight, and for some people sight might get better.4 There is no treatment for dry AMD yet.3,5
Low vision help and a healthy life
Light treatment, for some people
For wet AMD, a light treatment can destroy the abnormal blood vessels.3,4 In photodynamic therapy, a medicine is combined with laser light, sometimes together with eye injections.4
Is there a cure?
No, there is no cure for AMD.3 Research into new treatments is going on, and your specialist can tell you about studies you could join.3
Sources
Written in plain words by Frontlight from these pages: