AIMS: To report the effectiveness of intravitreal ranibizumab treatment for neovascular age-related macular degeneration in a tertiary centre. METHODS: 1 year prospective cohort study of patients with a diagnosis of neovascular age-related macular degeneration on fundus fluorescein angiography treated with ranibizumab. Patients received three consecutive monthly treatments, followed by a clinician-determined re-treatment strategy. Data collected included demographic details, baseline and subsequent follow-up visit measurements, refraction protocol best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), contrast sensitivity (CS) and central foveal thickness (CFT) on optical coherence tomography. RESULTS: 81 patients were included in the study. The mean age was 79.5 years with a male:female ratio 32:49. The mean number of treatments was 5.6 ± 2.3. Visual outcomes at 12 months showed 17.1% gained ≥ 15 letters BCVA, 97.4% lost <15 letters and 2.5% lost ≥ 15 letters. Mean changes at 12 months were: BCVA +3.7 ± 11.1 (p<0.01); CS +2.3 ± 5.1 letters (p<0.001); CFT -100.1 ± 111.9 μm (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Clinician-determined re-treatment after a three-dose initiation phase appears to be less effective in improving BCVA than in randomised controlled trials.
AIMS: To report the effectiveness of intravitreal ranibizumab treatment for neovascular age-related macular degeneration in a tertiary centre. METHODS: 1 year prospective cohort study of patients with a diagnosis of neovascular age-related macular degeneration on fundus fluorescein angiography treated with ranibizumab. Patients received three consecutive monthly treatments, followed by a clinician-determined re-treatment strategy. Data collected included demographic details, baseline and subsequent follow-up visit measurements, refraction protocol best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), contrast sensitivity (CS) and central foveal thickness (CFT) on optical coherence tomography. RESULTS: 81 patients were included in the study. The mean age was 79.5 years with a male:female ratio 32:49. The mean number of treatments was 5.6 ± 2.3. Visual outcomes at 12 months showed 17.1% gained ≥ 15 letters BCVA, 97.4% lost <15 letters and 2.5% lost ≥ 15 letters. Mean changes at 12 months were: BCVA +3.7 ± 11.1 (p<0.01); CS +2.3 ± 5.1 letters (p<0.001); CFT -100.1 ± 111.9 μm (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Clinician-determined re-treatment after a three-dose initiation phase appears to be less effective in improving BCVA than in randomised controlled trials.
Authors: A H Ross; P H J Donachie; A Sallam; I M Stratton; Q Mohamed; P H Scanlon; J N Kirkpatrick; R L Johnston Journal: Eye (Lond) Date: 2012-11-23 Impact factor: 3.775