One-year follow-up outcomes of the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration with aflibercept
Abstract
Purpose: To evaluate one-year follow-up outcomes of the treatment with aflibercept in patients with newly diagnosed wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Methods: It was a retrospective analysis of 28 eyes of 28 patients with an average age of 74,2 years, who were treated with aflibercept at the Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Královské Vinohrady in Prague.
All patients were treated according to the SPC, it means initial 3 injections at monthly intervals, followed by 4 injections every 2 months. We evaluated the change in the best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) on Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) charts and the change in central retinal thickness (CRT) by the optical coherence tomography (OCT).
Results: The mean input visual acuity was 61,5 letters of the ETDRS optotype. After the initial 3 injections the BCVA improved to 70,5 letters and after one year's treatment, it dropped slightly to 68,1 letters.
Better or equal visual acuity had 25 eyes (89,3 %), with worsening in 3 eyes (10,7 %). CRT decreased from an entry average of 360,9 μm to 253,3 μm after the initial phase and to 233,8 μm after one year treatment.
No signs of disease activity had 25 eyes (89,3 %) at the end of the follow-up period. There were no complications of the treatment.
Conclusion: In our study, we confirm the efficacy and safety of aflibercept in patients with newly diagnosed wet AMD. Following the fixed treatment regimen we can achieve similarly excellent outcomes in real clinical practice as in clinical trials