What is Geographic Atrophy?

GA, the advanced form of dry AMD, is a relentless disease that causes irreversible damage to your eyes.

GA can cause irreversible damage to the parts of your eye responsible for central vision in as few as 2.5 years.*

*According to a study of 3,640 patients with AMD, the median time to developing central GA, after any GA diagnosis in at least one eye for a subset of 397 patients, was 2.5 years.

Use the arrows to see an example of GA lesion progression in a person over time.

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Normal Retina†
Normal Retina<sup>†</sup>
Baseline‡
Baseline<sup>‡</sup>
+1 Years‡
+1 Years<sup>‡</sup>
+3 Years‡
+3 Years<sup>‡</sup>

Images are for illustrative purposes only. Progression of GA lesions and vision impairment due to GA may vary. SYFOVRE is proven to slow GA lesion progression. It has not been shown to stop or reverse damage to vision.

†Image courtesy of Mohammad Rafieetary, OD, Charles Retina Institute.

‡Reproduced from Steffen Schmitz-Valckenberg. The Journey of “Geographic Atrophy” through Past, Present, and Future. Ophthalmologica. 2017;237:11-20. Copyright 2017 Karger Publishers, Basel, Switzerland.

Use the arrows to see how GA can affect vision over time.

Showing 1 of 4

1st image
2nd image
3rd image
4th image

Images are for illustrative purposes only. Progression of GA lesions and vision impairment due to GA may vary. SYFOVRE is proven to slow GA lesion progression. It has not been shown to stop or reverse damage to vision.

GA may progress faster than you think and can damage parts of your eye that help you read, drive, and recognize faces.

How GA lesions can permanently damage your eyes

Side view of normal eye

Your retina is made up of layers of cells that include photoreceptors that send signals to help your brain process what you’re seeing.

Retina’s role in vision

Photoreceptors are concentrated in the macula, the part in the retina which is responsible for central vision.

Where GA starts to form

GA lesions can form when part of the immune system in your eye is overactivated and mistakenly damages these retinal cells.

GA damage spreads

These lesions can grow in the macula, the central part of the retina that helps you see in detail.

GA damages central vision

As GA lesions continue to grow, they move closer to the center of the macula, causing permanent damage to your central vision.

Images for illustrative purposes only. GA lesion progression may vary.

Reproduced with permission from Ruiz-Moreno et al. Fundus autofluorescence in age-related macular degeneration. AMD Book. 2017

AMD and GA

GA Progression Poster

Learn how GA progresses and can change your vision.

Download the poster

Slowing GA lesion progression can help slow the damage it causes

Get up-to-date information on GA and SYFOVRE.

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The resources on this website are meant to be informational only and are not intended to replace medical advice. Always talk to your healthcare provider about any medical decisions, including how to manage geographic atrophy (GA) and how it affects your everyday life.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

What is SYFOVRE?

SYFOVRE is a prescription eye injection, used to treat geographic atrophy (GA), the dry advanced form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Who should NOT receive SYFOVRE® (pegcetacoplan injection)?

Do not receive SYFOVRE if you have an infection or active swelling in or around your eye that may include pain and redness, or are allergic to pegcetacoplan or any ingredients in SYFOVRE. SYFOVRE can cause serious allergic reactions such as trouble breathing, tongue, face, lips, or mouth swelling, rashes, and hives.

Who should NOT receive SYFOVRE® (pegcetacoplan injection)?

Do not receive SYFOVRE if you have an infection or active swelling in or around your eye that may include pain and redness, or are allergic to pegcetacoplan or any ingredients in SYFOVRE. SYFOVRE can cause serious allergic reactions such as trouble breathing, tongue, face, lips, or mouth swelling, rashes, and hives.

SYFOVRE can cause serious side effects:

  • Eye infection (endophthalmitis) or separation of layers of the retina (retinal detachment)
    • Call your healthcare provider right away if you have eye redness, light sensitivity, eye pain, or any change in vision including blurred, wavy/distorted vision, small specks floating in your vision, or flashing lights
  • Severe inflammation of vessels in the retina which may result in severe vision loss. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have eye redness, light sensitivity, eye pain, or any change in vision including blurred, wavy/distorted vision, or flashing lights
  • Risk of developing wet AMD. You should be monitored for signs of wet AMD and you should report if you have any change in vision including blurred, wavy/distorted vision, black spots, or loss of central vision to your healthcare provider
  • Episodes of eye inflammation. You should report any symptoms including eye redness, light sensitivity, eye pain, small specks floating in your vision, or any changes in vision to your healthcare provider
  • Increase in eye pressure within minutes of the injection. Your healthcare provider will monitor this after each injection

Before receiving SYFOVRE:

  • Tell your healthcare provider if any of the following applies to you:
    • If you have a history of seeing flashes of light or small specks floating in your vision and notice a sudden increase of size and number of these specks
    • If you have high pressure in the eye or glaucoma
  • Tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions, including
    • If you are, or think you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor for advice before taking this medicine
  • Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements

What should I avoid while receiving SYFOVRE?

  • After an injection or an eye exam, your eyesight may temporarily be impaired. Do not drive or use machinery until your vision recovers

What are the most common side effects of SYFOVRE?

  • Eye discomfort
  • Wet age-related macular degeneration
  • Small specks floating in vision
  • Blood in the white of the eye

These are not all the possible side effects of SYFOVRE. Tell your healthcare provider about any side effect that bothers you or does not go away.

Call your healthcare provider for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.

What is SYFOVRE?

SYFOVRE is a prescription eye injection, used to treat GA, the dry advanced form of AMD.

Please see full Prescribing Information for more information.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

Who should NOT receive SYFOVRE® (pegcetacoplan injection)?

Do not receive SYFOVRE if you have an infection or active swelling in or around your eye that may include pain and redness, or are allergic to pegcetacoplan or any ingredients in SYFOVRE. SYFOVRE can cause serious allergic reactions such as trouble breathing, tongue, face, lips, or mouth swelling, rashes, and hives.

SYFOVRE can cause serious side effects:

  • Eye infection (endophthalmitis) or separation of layers of the retina (retinal detachment)
    • Call your healthcare provider right away if you have eye redness, light sensitivity, eye pain, or any change in vision including blurred, wavy/distorted vision, small specks floating in your vision, or flashing lights
  • Severe inflammation of vessels in the retina which may result in severe vision loss. Call your healthcare provider right away if you have eye redness, light sensitivity, eye pain, or any change in vision including blurred, wavy/distorted vision, or flashing lights
  • Risk of developing wet AMD. You should be monitored for signs of wet AMD and you should report if you have any change in vision including blurred, wavy/distorted vision, black spots, or loss of central vision to your healthcare provider
  • Episodes of eye inflammation. You should report any symptoms including eye redness, light sensitivity, eye pain, small specks floating in your vision, or any changes in vision to your healthcare provider
  • Increase in eye pressure within minutes of the injection. Your healthcare provider will monitor this after each injection

Before receiving SYFOVRE:

  • Tell your healthcare provider if any of the following applies to you:
    • If you have a history of seeing flashes of light or small specks floating in your vision and notice a sudden increase of size and number of these specks
    • If you have high pressure in the eye or glaucoma
  • Tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions, including
    • If you are, or think you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor for advice before taking this medicine
  • Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements

What should I avoid while receiving SYFOVRE?

  • After an injection or an eye exam, your eyesight may temporarily be impaired. Do not drive or use machinery until your vision recovers

What are the most common side effects of SYFOVRE?

  • Eye discomfort
  • Wet age-related macular degeneration
  • Small specks floating in vision
  • Blood in the white of the eye

These are not all the possible side effects of SYFOVRE. Tell your healthcare provider about any side effect that bothers you or does not go away.

Call your healthcare provider for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.

What is SYFOVRE?

SYFOVRE is a prescription eye injection, used to treat GA, the dry advanced form of AMD.

Please see full Prescribing Information for more information.