Abstract
Purpose:
Patients with wet AMD in one eye are at risk of developing wet AMD in the second eye and are advised to present immediately should vision changes occur. This study is to determine if patients who are being treated regularly for wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in one eye present for an unscheduled emergent office visit when they develop wet AMD in their second eye.
Methods:
This is a retrospective interventional case series. Charts of patients undergoing treatment for wet AMD between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2012 were reviewed to identify patients who developed new onset wet AMD in the fellow eye. Patients who were being examined less frequently then every 3 months and who had less than 6 month follow-up from initiation of therapy in the second eye were excluded.
Results:
Twenty-five patients developed incident wet AMD in their second eye while undergoing treatment in their first eye and also met the inclusion criteria. At the time of development of wet AMD in the second eye, the first eye was being treated on average, every 8 weeks. Nine patients were being treated with bevacizumab and 16 with ranabizumab. Only two (8%) of the patients made an unscheduled emergency visit with the onset of wet AMD in their second eye. Prior to the development of wet AMD, the second eye had the better visual acuity in 14 (56%) patients, and had symptoms of vision change in 19 (76%) of patients.
Conclusions:
Patients with unilateral wet AMD, who are at high risk of developing wet AMD in their second eye, rarely present for an unscheduled emergent office visit when they develop wet AMD in their second eye. This finding supports more frequent screening of patients with dry AMD who are at high risk of progressing to wet AMD.
Keywords: 412 age-related macular degeneration •
688 retina