An Austrian study of short-term treatment deferral for exudative neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) has found its negative impact on visual acuity was sustained after one year.
The multi-institute study, led by Martin Stattin from the Karl Landsteiner Institute for Retinal Research and Imaging, evaluated the effects of a lockdown-imposed nine-week pause in anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) injections in 98 patients. Researchers observed an average loss of 2.2 ± 4.6 ETDRS letters (p=0.002) when treatment intervals were doubled to 117.6 ± 31.4 days. Despite continuous re-treatment over the following year, a total of 4.1 ± 8.1 letters (p<0.0001) were lost. The researchers concluded that, “Continuous therapy independent of the underlying treatment regimen remains of utmost importance in exudative nAMD. Our data should create awareness in regulators regarding future decisions despite the global pandemic.”
