Use of the cancer drug Avastin® may help keep the eyesight longer of patients with radiation retinopathy.

Before such findings, there was no effective treatment for macular radiation retinopathy - an eye condition brought about by radiation therapy in eye cancer patients.

Published in the current issue of the journal Archives of Ophthalmology, Avastin® has been found to reduce abnormal blood vessel growth and stops leakage in the eye -- allowing patients who were destined to go blind within five years to retain their vision longer.

According to Dr. Paul T. Finger, lead author of the study and director of Ocular Tumor Services at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary:

"This is a major breakthrough for eye cancer patients who are treated with radiation therapy and commonly develop radiation retinopathy."

A product of Genentech, Avastin® (bevacizumab) is the first US FDA-approved therapy designed to inhibit angiogenesis - the process by which new blood vessels develop and carry vital nutrients to a tumor.

Read the full report.