Blindness rates reduced in anti-VEGF era

Earlier detection and better treatments, in particular anti-VEGF therapies, means that the incidence of blindness in treated neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) has been reduced to low levels in the United Kingdom, according to a study presented at the 14th EURETINA Congress.

“This is the first real-world study on incidence and prevalence of eligibility for blindness and sight impairment in patients with treated nAMD in the UK based on visual acuity data,” Miranda Buckle MD said. The study data showed that only 3.6 per cent of the treated population progressed to blindness in 2010.

Dr Buckle’s study set out to evaluate the incidence and prevalence of blindness, sight impairment and other visual acuity states in patients receiving ranibizumab for nAMD in Gloucestershire. Serial visual acuity (VA) and injection data for all treatment-naïve patients receiving their first intravitreal injections of ranibizumab for nAMD in the Gloucestershire National Health Service Ophthalmology department between 2008-2010 were extracted from an electronic medical record system, with 719 

patients included in the final study data. 

Dr Buckle said that after two years 8 per cent of patients recorded a visual acuity of less than 39 letters in their better eye. That figure went up to 15 per cent of patients after five years. While the advent of anti-VEGF therapy has radically transformed the visual prognosis of patients with nAMD, Dr Buckle said that more could be done for international agreement on outcome measures for real-world success of outcome measures for nAMD.