The recommended minimum outcomes and pragmatic reporting standards should enable standardized, meaningful assessments and comparisons of macular degeneration treatment outcomes. Adoption could accelerate global improvements in standardized data gathering and reporting of patient-centered outcomes. This can facilitate informed decisions by patients and health care providers, plus allow long-term monitoring of aggregate data, ultimately improving understanding of disease progression and treatment responses.
The duration of symptoms before treatment decreased, while VA at baseline and after 1 year of treatment increased over the years and so did the number of injections. Long-term follow-up demonstrated stable VA.
Almost half of the patients starting anti-VEGF therapy discontinue treatment during the first year. Patients with risk factors may require additional support to continue with the treatment. Aflibercept therapy could be an alternative to patients at risk of treatment discontinuation.
It was possible to refrain from planned postoperative visits for patients having uncomplicated cataract surgery. However, preoperatively, patients with comorbidities should be provided with individual planning of their postoperative follow-up. Preoperative counseling is important, and the clinic must have resources to answer questions from patients and be prepared for additional unplanned postoperative visits.
Purpose:
To investigate how patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration treated with ranibizumab or bevacizumab respond to treatment in daily clinical practice.
Methods:
Data from the Swedish Macula Register on the treatment received by 3,912 patients during 2011 to 2014 is reported. Patients' characteristics at the first visit, visual acuity, number of injections, and reason for terminating the treatment if applicable are discussed. Furthermore, the risk of having poor vision (visual acuity under 60 Early Treatment Diabetes Retinopathy Study letters or approximately 20/60 Snellen) is calculated for the treated eye after 1 year and 2 years.
Results:
The treatment outcome depends on the visual acuity at the first visit. For patients with visual acuity more than 60 letters, the risk of having a visual acuity lower than 60 letters after 1 year or 2 years of treatment is approximately 20%. However, for patients with low visual acuity at diagnosis (fewer than 60 letters), the risk is approximately 60%. The risk of having a visual acuity lower than 60 letters does not depend on the choice of treatment drug.
Conclusion:
Treatment with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor intravitreal injections mainly maintains the visual acuity level, and only approximately 20% and 40% of the patients required vision rehabilitation after 1 year and 2 years, respectively.
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