Purpose To evaluate the effect of eculizumab, a systemic inhibitor of complement component (C5), on the growth of geographic atrophy (GA) in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Design Prospective, double-masked, randomized clinical trial. Participants Patients with GA measuring from 1.25 to 18 mm2 based on spectral-domain optical coherence tomography imaging. Methods Patients were randomized 2:1 to receive intravenous eculizumab or placebo over 6 months. In the eculizumab treatment arm, the first 10 patients received a low-dose regimen of 600 mg weekly for 4 weeks followed by 900 mg every 2 weeks until week 24, and the next 10 patients received a high-dose regimen of 900 mg weekly for 4 weeks followed by 1200 mg every 2 weeks until week 24. The placebo group was infused with saline. Patients were observed off treatment for an additional 26 weeks. Both normal-luminance and lowluminance visual acuities were measured throughout the study, and the low-luminance deficits were calculated as the difference between the letter scores. Main Outcome Measures Change in area of GA at 26 weeks. Results Thirty eyes of 30 patients were enrolled. Eighteen fellow eyes also met inclusion criteria and were analyzed as a secondary endpoint. For the 30 study eyes, mean square root of GA area measurements ± standard deviation at baseline were 2.55±0.94 and 2.02±0.74 mm in the eculizumab and placebo groups,respectively (P = 0.13). At 26 weeks, GA enlarged by a mean of 0.19±0.12 and 0.18±0.15 mm in the eculizumab and placebo groups, respectively (P = 0.96). At 52 weeks of follow-up, GA enlarged by a mean of 0.37±0.22 mm in the eculizumab-treated eyes and by a mean of 0.37±0.21 mm in the placebo group (P = 0.93, 2 sample t test). None of the eyes converted to wet AMD. No drug-related adverse events were identified. Conclusions Systemic complement inhibition with eculizumab was well tolerated through 6 months but did not decrease the growth rate of GA significantly. However, there was a statistically significant correlation between the lowluminance deficit at baseline and the progression of GA over 6 months.Ophthalmology 2014;121:693-701 © 2014 by the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) en face imaging was used to measure the growth of geographic atrophy (GA) and identify baseline anatomic changes in the outer retina in eyes with nonexudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD). PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this prospective study, eyes were imaged using 200 × 200 and 512 × 128 A-scan raster patterns. Outer retinal anatomy was visualized using en face imaging of a 20-μm thick slab encompassing the inner segment/outer segment (IS/OS) band. RESULTS: En face SD-OCT imaging of the IS/OS region revealed a bilaterally symmetrical pattern of outer retinal disruption extending beyond the borders of GA that accurately predicted the progression of GA over 1 year in 13 of 30 eyes (43.3%). In the remaining cases, the area of disruption was much larger than the area of progression. CONCLUSION: En face imaging of the outer retina can predict the growth of GA in some eyes. Due to the bilateral symmetry of these findings, this imaging strategy may identify a genetic subset of patients in whom photoreceptor loss precedes the progression of GA. These areas with outer retinal disruption should be followed in clinical trials designed to test treatments for dry AMD. [ Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2013;44:344–359.]

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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the change in drusen volume following treatment with eculizumab, a systemic inhibitor of complement component 5. PATIENTS AND METHODS:Single-center, prospective, randomized, double-masked clinical trial. Patients were randomized 2:1 to receive intravenous eculizumab or placebo over 26 weeks. Main outcome measure: decrease in drusen volume of at least 50% at 26-week follow-up. RESULTS:Mean drusen cube root volumes were 0.49 mm and 0.47 mm (P = .64) at baseline and 0.51 mm and 0.42 mm (P = .17) at 26 weeks in the eculizumab and placebo groups, respectively. In the placebo group, one eye had a decrease in drusen volume of at least 50% and two eyes developed neovascularization through 26 weeks. CONCLUSION:Systemic complement inhibition with eculizumab did not significantly reduce drusen volume. Drusen growth was dependent on the number of complement at-risk alleles. Future trials should consider the use of a composite clinical trial endpoint in which efficacy is defined by the treatment's ability to prevent drusen growth, neovascularization, and the formation of geographic atrophy over 1 year.