Women, smokers have higher rates of conversion from dry to wet AMD in fellow eye
NEW YORK — Some groups of patients, including women and smokers, have higher rates of conversion from nonexudative to exudative age-related macular degeneration in their fellow eye, according to a study.
Dan Gong, MD, presented the results of an IRIS Registry retrospective analysis at the American Society of Retina Specialists annual meeting that focused on fellow eye conversion of patients with unilateral exudative AMD.
“The clinical and research questions I’ve become most interested in asking and answering are motivated by what I hear from patients in the clinic,” he said. “We all have the shared experience among our patients who have unilateral exudative AMD ... we hear, ‘What is the chance my good eye is going to be affected?’”
Gong and colleagues looked at data from the IRIS Registry between 2016 and 2019 that included 87,232 patients with exudative AMD in one eye and nonexudative AMD in the fellow eye. Patient characteristics such as age, sex, race and initial anti-VEGF treatment medication in the fellow eye were documented.
Out of the entire patient population, 10.7% of patients had fellow eyes that converted from dry AMD to wet AMD. Men had a decreased risk compared with women (P < .001), and Asian patients (P < .001) and Black patients (P < .001) had decreased risk compared with white patients.
Compared with patients with early dry AMD, patients with intermediate dry AMD (P < .001) and advanced dry AMD (P < .001) were at higher risk for conversion. Active smokers were also at higher risk compared with patients who had never smoked (P < .001).
Gong said the findings were not surprising but could present new opportunities for personalized treatment.
“Where I would like to take this, basically, is to create a personal risk calculator for patients,” he said. “When the patient asks, ‘What is the chance my good eye is going to be affected,’ we can give them a more tailored, personalized response.”
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Gong D. Conversion rates from non-exudative to exudative age-related macular degeneration: An AAO IRIS Registry analysis. Presented at: American Society of Retina Specialists annual meeting; July 13-16, 2022; New York.
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