Abstract
Purpose :
Age-related macular degeneration is known to be associated with psychological stress and depression, but there has been limited study of how these vary with the number of anti-VEGF injections received. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the number of anti-VEGF treatments received by patients with AMD was related to stress and depression, and whether it was a potential mediator of the relationship between vision and socioeconomic status (SES).
Methods :
VA with habitual correction was measured using an ETDRS chart with letter-by-letter scoring for people diagnosed with AMD. The Perceived Stress Scale, CES-D, and Impact of Vision Impairment Scale were administered to all participants. All surveys were scored using Rasch analysis. SES was represented as highest level of education. The number of anti-VEGF treatments was assessed by counting all injections documented in the electronic health record. Spearman correlations and linear regression were used to examine relationships among number of treatments, stress, depression, and SES.
Results :
159 people with AMD (mean±SD age of 81±11 years) were recruited. Mean better-eye visual ETDRS letter score acuity was 61±19. The mean total number of documented anti-VEGF treatments was 9±12. Thirty-seven percent of participants had no history of injections, and 40% had a history of more than six. The total number of injections was inversely related to better-eye VA (p=0.04) as well as self-reported visual function (p=0.02). IVI score was also associated with both perceived stress and depression. There was no significant relationship between the total number of injections and either stress or depression. There was a trend toward those with highest SES having received less total treatments.
Conclusions :
People with age-related macular degeneration with a history of more treatments had worse vision and worse self-reported visual function. Self-reported visual function was inversely associated with stress and depression. There was no significant relationship between number of treatments and either perceived stress or depression.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2018 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Honolulu, Hawaii, April 29 - May 3, 2018.