Abstract
Purpose:
To evaluate the visual outcome and self-reported vision-targeted health status for patients treated with intravitreal ranibizumab for wet, age-related macular degeneration.
Methods:
Altogether 26 eyes from 26 patients, aged 76 ± 13 years, not previously treated and with wet AMD were included in this prospective study. Best corrected visual acuity (VA) was examined using Early Treatment Diabetic Research Study (ETDRS) charts and near vision reading. All patients underwent ophthalmological examination including fluorescein and indocyanine green angiography (occult cases) and optical coherence tomography (OCT). The Visual Function Questionnaire (VFQ-25) test was answered 45 ± 4 months after the start of the intravitreal injections.
Results:
The patients received mean 9 (range 3-26) injections. During follow up mean VA decreased from 52 to 47 letters; p=0.196, and near vision changed from 14 to 18 points; p=0.034. Linear regression analysis including age, time from start, VA before treatment and the number of injections, showed VA and the number of injections to be independently associated with a better visual outcome; p=0.001 and p=0.48 respectively. Despite visula impairment, the life quality test demonstrated an improvemnet in general vision related items ;p=0.003 and in distance vision, though not reaching statistical significance; p= 0.69.
Conclusions:
Better visual acuity at baseline and more frequent injections are associated with a better visual outcome. In spite of decreased visual acuity, self-reported visual function for general vision was improved.
Keywords: 412 age-related macular degeneration