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January 17, 2026<\/p>\n
1 min read<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n\n\nAdd topic to email alerts\n<\/span>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\nReceive an email when new articles are posted on \n<\/p>\n\nPlease provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on .<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n” data-action=subscribe>\nSubscribe\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n We were unable to process your request. Please try again later. If you continue to have this issue please contact customerservice@slackinc.com.<\/strong> <\/p>\nBack to Healio<\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nKey takeaways:<\/h2>\n\nMultimodal imaging and AI are both beneficial for managing patients with geographic atrophy. <\/li>\nCell therapies and visual cycle modulation are just two of many treatment avenues being studied. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\nWAIKOLOA, Hawaii \u2014 Geographic atrophy is a growing worldwide health issue, with approximately 8 million patients impacted, according to a speaker. <\/p>\nAt Retina 2026, Healio | OSN associate medical editor Rishi P. Singh, MD, FASRS,<\/b> delivered an expansive update on the GA treatment landscape. <\/p>\n\n\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\nImage: Eamon N. Dreisbach | Healio<\/em>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u201cGA is a progressive disease. About 1.6 years after diagnosis, 67% of patients lose their ability to drive,\u201d he said. \u201cWithin 2 years of diagnosis, a huge percentage of these patients lose two lines of vision.\u201d<\/p>\nAdditionally, 77% of patients report that GA affected their vision faster than expected after being diagnosed, Singh said. <\/p>\nMultimodal imaging is extremely beneficial for monitoring GA, he said. Developments in AI have allowed for the mapping of photoreceptors and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells, which can help with disease monitoring and quantification of therapeutic responses. <\/p>\n\u201cWhat we\u2019ve learned through many different studies is that it can quantify photoreceptors and RPE and develop ratios. This is where AI really becomes helpful,\u201d Singh said. \u201cThis is truly not something we can do clinically via our own measurement techniques.\u201d<\/p>\nLimitations among the two currently FDA-approved GA treatments, pegcetacoplan and avacincaptad pegol, include patient compliance with a monthly or bimonthly treatment schedule, intraocular inflammation and volume-related injection side effects, Singh explained. <\/p>\n\u201cOnly a subset of our patients are currently on these drugs,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s because there is just a lot going on in regard to treating these patients monthly or every month. Because there is no vision bump, and only preservation of tissue, some patients are less motivated than others to continue.\u201d<\/p>\nVisual cycle modulation, cell therapy and neuroprotection are all mechanisms currently being explored for future GA treatments. <\/p>\nTherapies in development for GA and wet age-related macular degeneration include vonaprument (Annexon Biosciences) and elamipretide (Stealth BioTherapeutics). However, Singh encouraged retina specialists to take advantage of the FDA-approved treatments that are already available. <\/p>\n\u201cThe call to arms right now is that new drugs won\u2019t be out until 2028 or beyond,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have drugs right now in our practice. I would not recommend waiting 2 years before instituting these therapies in your own practice.\u201d <\/p>\n
\nReceive an email when new articles are posted on \n<\/p>\n\nPlease provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on .<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n” data-action=subscribe>\nSubscribe\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n We were unable to process your request. Please try again later. If you continue to have this issue please contact customerservice@slackinc.com.<\/strong> <\/p>\nBack to Healio<\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nKey takeaways:<\/h2>\n\nMultimodal imaging and AI are both beneficial for managing patients with geographic atrophy. <\/li>\nCell therapies and visual cycle modulation are just two of many treatment avenues being studied. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\nWAIKOLOA, Hawaii \u2014 Geographic atrophy is a growing worldwide health issue, with approximately 8 million patients impacted, according to a speaker. <\/p>\nAt Retina 2026, Healio | OSN associate medical editor Rishi P. Singh, MD, FASRS,<\/b> delivered an expansive update on the GA treatment landscape. <\/p>\n\n\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\nImage: Eamon N. Dreisbach | Healio<\/em>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u201cGA is a progressive disease. About 1.6 years after diagnosis, 67% of patients lose their ability to drive,\u201d he said. \u201cWithin 2 years of diagnosis, a huge percentage of these patients lose two lines of vision.\u201d<\/p>\nAdditionally, 77% of patients report that GA affected their vision faster than expected after being diagnosed, Singh said. <\/p>\nMultimodal imaging is extremely beneficial for monitoring GA, he said. Developments in AI have allowed for the mapping of photoreceptors and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells, which can help with disease monitoring and quantification of therapeutic responses. <\/p>\n\u201cWhat we\u2019ve learned through many different studies is that it can quantify photoreceptors and RPE and develop ratios. This is where AI really becomes helpful,\u201d Singh said. \u201cThis is truly not something we can do clinically via our own measurement techniques.\u201d<\/p>\nLimitations among the two currently FDA-approved GA treatments, pegcetacoplan and avacincaptad pegol, include patient compliance with a monthly or bimonthly treatment schedule, intraocular inflammation and volume-related injection side effects, Singh explained. <\/p>\n\u201cOnly a subset of our patients are currently on these drugs,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s because there is just a lot going on in regard to treating these patients monthly or every month. Because there is no vision bump, and only preservation of tissue, some patients are less motivated than others to continue.\u201d<\/p>\nVisual cycle modulation, cell therapy and neuroprotection are all mechanisms currently being explored for future GA treatments. <\/p>\nTherapies in development for GA and wet age-related macular degeneration include vonaprument (Annexon Biosciences) and elamipretide (Stealth BioTherapeutics). However, Singh encouraged retina specialists to take advantage of the FDA-approved treatments that are already available. <\/p>\n\u201cThe call to arms right now is that new drugs won\u2019t be out until 2028 or beyond,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have drugs right now in our practice. I would not recommend waiting 2 years before instituting these therapies in your own practice.\u201d <\/p>\n
” data-action=subscribe>\nSubscribe\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n We were unable to process your request. Please try again later. If you continue to have this issue please contact customerservice@slackinc.com.<\/strong> <\/p>\nBack to Healio<\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nKey takeaways:<\/h2>\n\nMultimodal imaging and AI are both beneficial for managing patients with geographic atrophy. <\/li>\nCell therapies and visual cycle modulation are just two of many treatment avenues being studied. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\nWAIKOLOA, Hawaii \u2014 Geographic atrophy is a growing worldwide health issue, with approximately 8 million patients impacted, according to a speaker. <\/p>\nAt Retina 2026, Healio | OSN associate medical editor Rishi P. Singh, MD, FASRS,<\/b> delivered an expansive update on the GA treatment landscape. <\/p>\n\n\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\nImage: Eamon N. Dreisbach | Healio<\/em>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u201cGA is a progressive disease. About 1.6 years after diagnosis, 67% of patients lose their ability to drive,\u201d he said. \u201cWithin 2 years of diagnosis, a huge percentage of these patients lose two lines of vision.\u201d<\/p>\nAdditionally, 77% of patients report that GA affected their vision faster than expected after being diagnosed, Singh said. <\/p>\nMultimodal imaging is extremely beneficial for monitoring GA, he said. Developments in AI have allowed for the mapping of photoreceptors and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells, which can help with disease monitoring and quantification of therapeutic responses. <\/p>\n\u201cWhat we\u2019ve learned through many different studies is that it can quantify photoreceptors and RPE and develop ratios. This is where AI really becomes helpful,\u201d Singh said. \u201cThis is truly not something we can do clinically via our own measurement techniques.\u201d<\/p>\nLimitations among the two currently FDA-approved GA treatments, pegcetacoplan and avacincaptad pegol, include patient compliance with a monthly or bimonthly treatment schedule, intraocular inflammation and volume-related injection side effects, Singh explained. <\/p>\n\u201cOnly a subset of our patients are currently on these drugs,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s because there is just a lot going on in regard to treating these patients monthly or every month. Because there is no vision bump, and only preservation of tissue, some patients are less motivated than others to continue.\u201d<\/p>\nVisual cycle modulation, cell therapy and neuroprotection are all mechanisms currently being explored for future GA treatments. <\/p>\nTherapies in development for GA and wet age-related macular degeneration include vonaprument (Annexon Biosciences) and elamipretide (Stealth BioTherapeutics). However, Singh encouraged retina specialists to take advantage of the FDA-approved treatments that are already available. <\/p>\n\u201cThe call to arms right now is that new drugs won\u2019t be out until 2028 or beyond,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have drugs right now in our practice. I would not recommend waiting 2 years before instituting these therapies in your own practice.\u201d <\/p>\n
Back to Healio<\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nKey takeaways:<\/h2>\n\nMultimodal imaging and AI are both beneficial for managing patients with geographic atrophy. <\/li>\nCell therapies and visual cycle modulation are just two of many treatment avenues being studied. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\nWAIKOLOA, Hawaii \u2014 Geographic atrophy is a growing worldwide health issue, with approximately 8 million patients impacted, according to a speaker. <\/p>\nAt Retina 2026, Healio | OSN associate medical editor Rishi P. Singh, MD, FASRS,<\/b> delivered an expansive update on the GA treatment landscape. <\/p>\n\n\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\nImage: Eamon N. Dreisbach | Healio<\/em>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u201cGA is a progressive disease. About 1.6 years after diagnosis, 67% of patients lose their ability to drive,\u201d he said. \u201cWithin 2 years of diagnosis, a huge percentage of these patients lose two lines of vision.\u201d<\/p>\nAdditionally, 77% of patients report that GA affected their vision faster than expected after being diagnosed, Singh said. <\/p>\nMultimodal imaging is extremely beneficial for monitoring GA, he said. Developments in AI have allowed for the mapping of photoreceptors and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells, which can help with disease monitoring and quantification of therapeutic responses. <\/p>\n\u201cWhat we\u2019ve learned through many different studies is that it can quantify photoreceptors and RPE and develop ratios. This is where AI really becomes helpful,\u201d Singh said. \u201cThis is truly not something we can do clinically via our own measurement techniques.\u201d<\/p>\nLimitations among the two currently FDA-approved GA treatments, pegcetacoplan and avacincaptad pegol, include patient compliance with a monthly or bimonthly treatment schedule, intraocular inflammation and volume-related injection side effects, Singh explained. <\/p>\n\u201cOnly a subset of our patients are currently on these drugs,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s because there is just a lot going on in regard to treating these patients monthly or every month. Because there is no vision bump, and only preservation of tissue, some patients are less motivated than others to continue.\u201d<\/p>\nVisual cycle modulation, cell therapy and neuroprotection are all mechanisms currently being explored for future GA treatments. <\/p>\nTherapies in development for GA and wet age-related macular degeneration include vonaprument (Annexon Biosciences) and elamipretide (Stealth BioTherapeutics). However, Singh encouraged retina specialists to take advantage of the FDA-approved treatments that are already available. <\/p>\n\u201cThe call to arms right now is that new drugs won\u2019t be out until 2028 or beyond,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have drugs right now in our practice. I would not recommend waiting 2 years before instituting these therapies in your own practice.\u201d <\/p>\n
WAIKOLOA, Hawaii \u2014 Geographic atrophy is a growing worldwide health issue, with approximately 8 million patients impacted, according to a speaker. <\/p>\n
At Retina 2026, Healio | OSN associate medical editor Rishi P. Singh, MD, FASRS,<\/b> delivered an expansive update on the GA treatment landscape. <\/p>\n\n\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\nImage: Eamon N. Dreisbach | Healio<\/em>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u201cGA is a progressive disease. About 1.6 years after diagnosis, 67% of patients lose their ability to drive,\u201d he said. \u201cWithin 2 years of diagnosis, a huge percentage of these patients lose two lines of vision.\u201d<\/p>\nAdditionally, 77% of patients report that GA affected their vision faster than expected after being diagnosed, Singh said. <\/p>\nMultimodal imaging is extremely beneficial for monitoring GA, he said. Developments in AI have allowed for the mapping of photoreceptors and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells, which can help with disease monitoring and quantification of therapeutic responses. <\/p>\n\u201cWhat we\u2019ve learned through many different studies is that it can quantify photoreceptors and RPE and develop ratios. This is where AI really becomes helpful,\u201d Singh said. \u201cThis is truly not something we can do clinically via our own measurement techniques.\u201d<\/p>\nLimitations among the two currently FDA-approved GA treatments, pegcetacoplan and avacincaptad pegol, include patient compliance with a monthly or bimonthly treatment schedule, intraocular inflammation and volume-related injection side effects, Singh explained. <\/p>\n\u201cOnly a subset of our patients are currently on these drugs,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s because there is just a lot going on in regard to treating these patients monthly or every month. Because there is no vision bump, and only preservation of tissue, some patients are less motivated than others to continue.\u201d<\/p>\nVisual cycle modulation, cell therapy and neuroprotection are all mechanisms currently being explored for future GA treatments. <\/p>\nTherapies in development for GA and wet age-related macular degeneration include vonaprument (Annexon Biosciences) and elamipretide (Stealth BioTherapeutics). However, Singh encouraged retina specialists to take advantage of the FDA-approved treatments that are already available. <\/p>\n\u201cThe call to arms right now is that new drugs won\u2019t be out until 2028 or beyond,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have drugs right now in our practice. I would not recommend waiting 2 years before instituting these therapies in your own practice.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cGA is a progressive disease. About 1.6 years after diagnosis, 67% of patients lose their ability to drive,\u201d he said. \u201cWithin 2 years of diagnosis, a huge percentage of these patients lose two lines of vision.\u201d<\/p>\n
Additionally, 77% of patients report that GA affected their vision faster than expected after being diagnosed, Singh said. <\/p>\n
Multimodal imaging is extremely beneficial for monitoring GA, he said. Developments in AI have allowed for the mapping of photoreceptors and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells, which can help with disease monitoring and quantification of therapeutic responses. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we\u2019ve learned through many different studies is that it can quantify photoreceptors and RPE and develop ratios. This is where AI really becomes helpful,\u201d Singh said. \u201cThis is truly not something we can do clinically via our own measurement techniques.\u201d<\/p>\n
Limitations among the two currently FDA-approved GA treatments, pegcetacoplan and avacincaptad pegol, include patient compliance with a monthly or bimonthly treatment schedule, intraocular inflammation and volume-related injection side effects, Singh explained. <\/p>\n
\u201cOnly a subset of our patients are currently on these drugs,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s because there is just a lot going on in regard to treating these patients monthly or every month. Because there is no vision bump, and only preservation of tissue, some patients are less motivated than others to continue.\u201d<\/p>\n
Visual cycle modulation, cell therapy and neuroprotection are all mechanisms currently being explored for future GA treatments. <\/p>\n
Therapies in development for GA and wet age-related macular degeneration include vonaprument (Annexon Biosciences) and elamipretide (Stealth BioTherapeutics). However, Singh encouraged retina specialists to take advantage of the FDA-approved treatments that are already available. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe call to arms right now is that new drugs won\u2019t be out until 2028 or beyond,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have drugs right now in our practice. I would not recommend waiting 2 years before instituting these therapies in your own practice.\u201d <\/p>\n
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