VIDEO: Biomarkers can help to predict progression to geographic atrophy

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Currently, what we use is a lot of OCT biomarkers to help us predict who’s at risk for progressing from the intermediate stages of macular degeneration to the more advanced stages, which is defined as geographic atrophy. Now, in OCT terms, we can define that by incomplete or complete RPE and outer retinal atrophy, which is known as iRORA or cRORA. And so, some of the features that predict the development of cRORA can include some OCT biomarkers such as hyperreflective foci and, essentially, iRORA, where you have incomplete loss of the RPE and outer retinal atrophy, which is more likely to progress to a complete disruption. And then, where we have sort of heterogeneity within the drusen, what are called OCT drusen substructures. And so, these are some of the features that we can look at clinically to put somebody potentially into a higher-risk category or a lower-risk category as to whether or not they’re going to progress to geographic atrophy.