Jan 29, 2026

AMD Research Update: What’s New, What’s Coming, and What Matters Most for Canadians

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) remains a leading cause of vision loss for older Canadians, but the research landscape is changing. While we don’t yet have a cure, new treatments and technologies are steadily emerging that aim to slow progression, reduce the number of injections people need, and even explore ways to restore vision.

Here’s a look at what’s most relevant for Canadians with AMD today.

Dry AMD (geographic atrophy): progress, but no approved drugs yet in Canada

Advanced dry AMD (also called geographic atrophy, or GA) remains the area of greatest unmet need.

In the United States, complement-inhibitor drugs have been approved to slow GA progression. However, these treatments are not currently available in Canada although one is currently under regulatory review by Health Canada. Fighting Blindness Canada continues to advocate for improved access as evidence evolves.

At the same time, many other strategies for dry AMD are being tested in clinical trials, including:

• Gene therapies that may offer the possibility of a single treatment that slows progression of GA including PST-611 (Phase 1), SAR446597 (Phase 1/2), and OCU410 (Phase 1/2)
• Oral medications designed to slow retinal degeneration including ALK-001 (Phase 2/3), Tinlarebant (Phase 3)
• Non invasive approaches including light therapy. One type of light therapy called Photobiomodulation uses red or near-infrared light to stimulate retinal cells. Some studies show modest visual improvements but larger studies are still needed to show efficacy before it can become approved as standard care in Canada.

What this means: there’s still no approved treatment here yet, but the pipeline for dry AMD is broader than ever, which improves the chances that effective options will reach Canadians in the coming years.

Wet AMD: fewer injections is the big goal

Anti-VEGF injections remain the standard of care and the most common treatment for wet AMD today. They work well for many people and can help maintain, and sometimes improve, vision. However, frequent visits and ongoing injections can be tiring and disruptive.

Much of the current research now focuses on durability: keeping vision stable with fewer treatments. Approaches being studied include:

• Gene therapies designed to provide long-term anti-VEGF from a single procedure including 4D-150 (Phase 3), Ixo-vec (Phase 3) and RGX-314 (Phase 3)
• Could you confirm this is what you want the sentence to read now: Long-acting drugs, such as Eylea HD and Vabysmo, and implants that slowly release medication over months, such as Susvimo
• New drug classes such as tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) including EYP-1901 (Phase 3) and OTX-TKI (Phase 3)

These strategies all aim for the same outcome: fewer injections, fewer appointments, and less disruption to daily life.

Restoring vision: implants and cell therapies

Beyond slowing disease, some researchers are working to restore lost vision.

The PRIMA retinal implant has shown that people with advanced GA can regain usable central vision in clinical studies after implantation and training. Early trials suggest some participants can read letters and words again, something previously impossible in late-stage dry AMD.

Cell-based therapies, including stem-cell-derived retinal patches, are also being tested to replace or support damaged retinal cells.

These approaches are still experimental, but they represent an important shift: not just preserving vision but trying to rebuild it.

What this means for you

Today

• Regular eye exams and monitoring remain essential
• Anti-VEGF injections are effective for wet AMD
• Ask your doctor about clinical trials or extended-interval strategies

On the horizon

• Longer-lasting wet AMD treatments with fewer injections
• New drug options for dry AMD as trials and reviews progress
• Vision-restoring implants and cell therapies in development
• Non-invasive approaches like light therapy or oral treatments under study

Questions to ask your eye care team

• How often should I be monitored?
• Are there trials I might qualify for?
• Are longer-acting treatments appropriate for me?
• What low-vision or support services could help now?

While breakthroughs don’t happen overnight, the number of approaches under study today is greater than ever before. Each step forward, fewer injections, slower progression, or small vision gains, can make a meaningful difference in daily life.

Fighting Blindness Canada will continue to track these developments and share updates, so our community has the information and support needed to navigate what comes next.