Novel Method of Treating Macular Degeneration Using Botulinum Toxin-Based Pharmaceuticals

A method of treating age-related macular degeneration, the method comprising:

• administering botulinum neurotoxin type A to a human or mammalian patient suffering from wet, exudative macular degeneration, wherein the botulinum neurotoxin type A is administered into or near a para orbital region of the patient but not into an intraocular or subconjunctival region of the patient;
• injecting an anti-VEGF agent into a vitreal region of the patient, wherein the anti-VEGF agent is selected from the group consisting of:
• bevacizumab, aflibercept, abicipar, ranibizumab, and brolucizumab;
• assessing and monitoring retinal thickness with ocular coherence tomography to determine degree and severity of leakage;
• and
• monitoring presence or absence of hemorrhage in a macula of the patient.

A method of treating dry macular degeneration in a patient, the method comprising:

• identifying absence of intraocular leakage in the patient via ocular coherence tomography (OCT);
• identifying a flow void in a choriocapillaris of the patient using ocular coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A);
• administering a para-orbital injection of botulinum toxin to the patient at a conventional dose;
• stimulating VEGF or VEGF receptors in a retinal pigment epithelium and/or a choriocapillaris of the patient;
• and
• delaying progression of dry macular degeneration to wet macular degeneration and/or delaying choroidal and/or photoreceptor atrophy in the patient.