CRT fluctuations during wet AMD treatment significantly affect BCVA
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Fluctuations in central retinal thickness appear to significantly affect best corrected visual acuity in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration, according to a study in the European Journal of Ophthalmology.
Francesco Ciucci, MD, and colleagues conducted a retrospective review of patient records to look at OCT data of 41 patients treated for neovascular AMD with aflibercept. Patients received injections every 4 weeks during the first 3 months and then received bimonthly injections over the first year before moving to an as-needed regimen.
Ciucci F, et al. Eur J Ophthalmol. 2021;doi:10.1177/11206721211037820.
“We focused our attention on three basic clinical variables: CRT fluctuations, as measured by CRT standard deviation (CRT/SD), best corrected visual acuity and number of injections administered,” Ciucci told Healio/OSN.
There was a negative correlation between CRT/SD and final BCVA, and the correlation was significantly higher in patients who lost more than 15 letters (P = .012). There was also a significant correlation between the number of injections and final BCVA (P < .001), but no significant correlation was observed between number of injections and CRT/SD. Additionally, patients with a final BCVA of greater than 65 letters demonstrated lower CRT/SD than patients with a final BCVA of 65 letters or lower.
“What we have learned from our study is that large CRT fluctuations during anti-VEGF therapy significantly influence the functional result and that regularity of treatment and correct timing appear crucial when treating patients with nAMD,” Ciucci said.
The study was limited by CRT being measured as a whole “without a subanalysis of subretinal fluid, pigment epithelial detachment or intraretinal fluid,” the authors wrote.
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