This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
European guidelines on neovascular AMD, DME to be released soon
VIENNA — European guidelines for the management of neovascular age-related macular degeneration and diabetic macular edema will be released early next year, according to Ursula Schmidt-Erfurth, MD.
“We are still polishing them and discussing them with our colleagues of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, who are renewing their Preferred Practice Patterns. We want to work on a common ground ,” she said in an interview with Ocular Surgery News during the Advanced Retinal Therapy meeting here.
The panel for the guidelines involves specialists from eight countries in Europe.
Ursula Schmidt-Erfurth
“What we are providing is orientation, suggestions from the positive consensus of experts. We are not forbidding anything, but rather not suggesting what we think should not be done. All our advice is referring to the most solid sources of information,” Schmidt-Erfurth said.
Anti-VEGF therapy will be central in the guidelines, but there will be chapters on lasers, photodynamic therapy and surgery for hemorrhage.
Schmidt-Erfurth noted that writing guidelines for Europe is a delicate task due to the different and sometimes contrasting regulations, approval processes and reimbursement policies in individual countries.
“There is also a variety of attitudes that we have to take into account. Nevertheless, it is important to have a common platform of best practices across borders,” she said.
Disclosure: Schmidt-Erfurth has served as a consultant for Allergan, Alcon, Bayer HealthCare, Boehringer and Novartis.