Abstract
Purpose :
Intravitreal ranibizumab has proven to be effective in the management of patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The aim of the present study was to assess the long-term outcome of patients with neovascular AMD in the real world scenario.
Methods :
Observational, retrospective, multicenter (10 sites across Spain) study to assess the clinical and demographic characteristics of patients with neovascular AMD treated with ranibizumab 0.5 mg and followed for at least 24 months. Patients were included if visual acuity (VA) was at least 20/200 within 3 months previous to data collection.
Results :
A total number of 67 eyes (66 patients; mean age 78.2±6.3; women 50%) were recruited. The mean time from diagnosis of neovascular AMD was 3.1±0.8 years. Only 65.7% of cases had received a loading dose of 3 consecutive monthly injections of ranibizumab. Mean VA improved 3.7±12.0 letters at month-12; and 4.2±12.3 letters at month-24. VA improvement after loading dose (month-3) was more sustained in patients aged under 75 years, cases with less than 3 years since diagnosis and cases with less than 350 microns in central retinal thickness. Pigment epithelium detachment (PED) was more frequent in patients under 75 years of age at baseline (68.2% and 57.8%), and also after 24-month follow-up (45.5% and 33.3%).
PRN with strict monthly follow-up (43.3%; mean annual injections 4.2±1.6), and PRN without fixed follow-up criteria (43.3%; 2.7±1.3) were the most frequent strategies registered. Ranibizumab was administered to treat further recurrences in 61 of the 67 study eyes, mainly due to persistent or recurrent macular fluid (qualitative parameter) regardless of age, time since diagnosis, VA or retinal thickness. The overall mean number of injections per year since diagnosis was 3.4±1.6.
Conclusions :
The present study results suggest that ranibizumab may be effective in the real world scenario in patients with neovascular AMD with VA improvement since month-3 that may remain stable at 24-month follow-up. In addition, the presence of PED was evidenced to be decreased at the end of follow-up. Younger age, shorter time since diagnosis of neovascular AMD and lower basal retinal thickness might be associated with sustained VA improvements.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2016 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, Wash., May 1-5, 2016.