Vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors outcomes in good vision eyes with neovascular age-related macular degeneration: Fight Retinal Blindness! SPAIN Report 4

Abstract

Objective To evaluate the visual outcomes in neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) eyes initiating anti-vascular endothelial growth factor treatment with baseline visual acuity (VA) ≥70 letters. Methods Multicentre, real-world, and national database study. Demographics, VA, number of injections, and patient visit data were collected using a validated online tool. Subgroup analysis included 2 nonoverlapping participant groups defined by baseline VA: Good vision eyes (GVE, “70–100 letters”) and non-GVE (“0–69 letters”) at 12, 24, and 36 months. Results A total of 3 138 eyes (2 520 patients) were included in the analysis, followed up for 12 (n = 2 426; 77.3%), 24 (n = 1 793; 57.1%), and 36 months (n = 1 167; 37.2%). GVE had significantly better 24-month final VA (71.0 ± 13.8 vs 52.3 ± 23.2; p < 0.001) than NGVE. Mean VA change (letters) at 12, 24, and 36 months of follow-up was significantly lower in the GVE −2.4 (−3.1, −1.6), −4.5 (−5.6, −3.5), and −7.8 (−9.4, −6.2) than in NGVE +6.7 (5.8, 7.6), +5.0 (3.8, 6.2), and +4.0 (2.5, 5.5) group, respectively. The number of injections and percentage of visits with active lesions were higher in GVE through 36 months. Conclusions The mean VA of GVE tends to drop, but it is still much higher than NGVE eyes at 12, 24, and 36 months. Early detection and prompt treatment are key and should be considered in treatment access policies, regulatory frameworks, and clinical guidelines, as defining a threshold to start treatment may have a clear impact on final visual function, patient autonomy and legal blindness rates in nAMD patients.