Revisiting the utility of dilated fundus exams in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration receiving regular intravitreal injections

Abstract

Patients receiving regular anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) intravitreal injections for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) routinely undergo dilated fundus examination (DFE) at each visit. In this paper, we review the current evidence on the utility of DFE in guiding treatment of established patients with nAMD and discuss novel treatment algorithms that defer DFE assessments with the advent of optical coherence tomography (OCT). We also debate on the value of DFE in the current sanitary context of COVID-19 and highlight important clinical scenarios where it must be performed.