Age-related macular degeneration: how in Kirov to preserve the vision of patients over 50 years

In the Kirov Regional Clinical Hospital, modern methods of treatment of age-related retinal changes are used. Residents of the region can receive such assistance free of charge under the MHI policy - the direction is issued by ophthalmologists of city and district hospitals.

Igor Smerdov, head of the ophthalmological department of the COKB, said that age-related macular degeneration often causes deterioration and loss of vision in people after 50 years. With this disease, nutrition of the central zone of the retina is disturbed, blood supply deteriorates and pathological vessels appear. Among the causes of blindness, it ranks fourth.

It is not yet possible to completely stop the process, but intravitreal injections help to slow down the fall of vision. Drugs suppress the growth of abnormal vessels, reduce inflammation and swelling. Since the drug is injected into the tissue of the eye, the procedure is considered surgical and performed in the operating room. Such interventions account for about 30% of all operations of the department. More than 80% of injections are done in a day hospital - hospitalization is not required.

The chief doctor of the regional hospital Vadim Ralnikov noted: in 2025, the number of intravitreal injections increased by 14%, and for 9 months of 2026, more than 750 operations were performed. The clinic uses all four drugs registered in Russia with different mechanisms of action, which allows you to select an individual course.

Optical coherent tomography is used to diagnose and monitor the retina. It helps to identify the disease at an early stage and evaluate the effectiveness of treatment.

At the initial stage, there are usually no complaints, so it is important for older people to be checked regularly by an ophthalmologist. The first signs are a decrease in vision, which is not corrected by glasses, distortion of objects and letters, the appearance of spots before the eyes.

Treatment begins with several loading injections, then the intervals between them gradually increase. All this time, patients are under the supervision of specialists of the regional hospital.

Acting First Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Kirov region Dmitry Kurdyumov called COKB the flagship of Kirov medicine. According to him, the hospital is equipped with advanced equipment, and doctors use the most modern methods of diagnosis and treatment, so patients from other regions also come here.