Abstract
Purpose :
Intravitreal (IVT) injections of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor drugs are currently a mainstay of pharmacological treatment for many retinal diseases but have shown relatively low patient compliance in previous studies, reducing treatment efficacy. New developments in small molecule anti-angiogenic drugs provide the future possibility of alternative drug delivery routes such as eye drops or oral tablets. This survey study aimed to determine what factors influence patient views of IVT injections and how future treatments might be administered to increase patient compliance and satisfaction with treatment.
Methods :
An IRB-approved patient survey was designed to explore patient preferences, demographics, and perspectives on treatment compliance. Inclusion criteria consisted of any patient who received IVT injections for a retinal disease at the Glick Eye Institute from 2016 through July 2020. Respondent demographics and diagnosis were collected from medical records. Participants were stratified by number of IVT injections received (<4 vs. ≥4) and by sex. Survey responses were evaluated on a five level Likert scale and differences between groups assessed using the Student’s t-test.
Results :
Respondents (n=54; response rate 5%) ranged in age from 27 to 91 and came from a diverse pool of education and income levels. Retinal disease diagnoses included macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, ocular histoplasmosis, and central serous retinopathy. Responses revealed that 83.3% of participants agreed or strongly agreed that they were apprehensive prior to receiving their first IVT injection, but that 79.6% were willing to receive injections indefinitely to preserve their vision. However, when questioned about future alternative treatment routes, 75.5% of participants preferred eye drops over IVT injections and 65.4% preferred oral tablets over IVT injections. Despite this, a majority of patients still preferred ophthalmologist visits spaced every 1–3 months. Responses did not differ between sex or between number of IVT injections received.
Conclusions :
A majority of retinal disease patients are willing to receive IVT injections indefinitely in order to preserve their vision. However, if new treatments were available, most participants would prefer eye drops or oral tablets over IVT injections. This finding underscores the value of developing new therapeutics with alternative delivery routes.
This is a 2021 ARVO Annual Meeting abstract.