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Screening, prophylaxis for early AMD worth the cost, Australian study finds
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Screening for early age-related macular degeneration and providing nutritional supplements to prevent disease progression was calculated to be a cost effective strategy by researchers in Australia. Administering high-dose zinc and antioxidants to people who show early signs of AMD can help delay and reduce disease progression for a relative cost saving, the researchers found.
C. Hopley and colleagues at Westmead Hospital at the University of Sydney assessed the cost effectiveness of screening for and treatment of AMD, a leading cause of blindness and visual impairment in the developed world. Their cost-utility analysis was conducted to estimate the cost per quality adjusted life year for screening a cohort of men and women older than 55 for early AMD and then treating them with zinc and antioxidants.
The incremental cost-utility analysis was based on a decision analytic model that compared screening with no screening. In this model, the cost effectiveness of screening for early AMD was almost $42,000 per quality adjusted life year saved. The cost decreased to just under $35,000 if the savings on photodynamic therapy with verteporfin were included.
The study is published in the April issue of British Journal of Ophthalmology as part of a series on value-based ophthalmology edited by Drs. Melissa and Gary Brown.