Follow-Up in Wet-Form (Neovascular) Age-Related Macular Degeneration and Conversion to Choroidal Neovascular Membrane in Fellow Eye

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness among the elderly population. In recent years, with the use of agents against vascular endothelial growth factors, it has become possible to significantly prevent the vision loss of patients. Early initiation of therapy increases the efficacy of treatment. The presence of wet-type AMD in one is a very important risk factor for the fellow eye and vision loss and blindness in both eyes will have severe consequences for the affected patients. In this regard, early diagnosis and treatment of fellow eyes of these patients are very important. In this review, the incidence, risk factors, and early detection methods of the conversion to wet-type AMD of fellow eyes were summarized

2020 ◽  
Vol 77 (5) ◽  
pp. 779-780 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anu Kauppinen

AbstractProlonged life expectancies contribute to the increasing prevalence of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) that is already the leading cause of severe vision loss among the elderly in developed countries. In dry AMD, the disease culminates into vast retinal atrophy, whereas the wet form is characterized by retinal edema and sudden vision loss due to neovascularization originating from the choroid beneath the Bruch’s membrane. There is no treatment for dry AMD and despite intravitreal injections of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) that suppress the neovessel formation, also wet AMD needs new therapies to prevent the disease progression and to serve patients lacking of positive response to current medicines. Knowledge on disease mechanisms is a prerequisite for the drug development, which is hindered by the multifactorial nature of AMD. Numerous distinguished publications have revealed AMD mechanisms at the cellular and molecular level and in this multi-author review, we take a bit broader look at the topic with some novel aspects.


2016 ◽  
Vol 236 (2) ◽  
pp. 95-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Wolf ◽  
Francesco Bandello ◽  
Anat Loewenstein ◽  
Jason Slakter ◽  
Todd Katz ◽  
...  

Purpose: The aim was to describe baseline characteristics of the fellow eye of patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). Methods: A pooled, post hoc analysis of patients with nAMD enrolled in the VIEW studies was carried out. The VIEW studies compared intravitreal aflibercept (monthly or every 2 months after 3 monthly injections) with monthly ranibizumab. Baseline choroidal neovascularization (CNV) status of fellow eyes and baseline best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and lens status of all eyes were evaluated. Additional analyses evaluated the presence of drusen and pigment in fellow eyes. Results: When comparing both eyes, baseline BCVA was worse in 23.8% of fellow eyes and in 75.2% of study eyes. Lens status of fellow eyes and study eyes was similar. Baseline visual acuity of the study eye and that of the fellow eye were not correlated. Most fellow eyes had signs of early AMD, with 34.6% (n = 843) of fellow eyes having evidence of scarring. Conclusions: In patients in the VIEW studies, most fellow eyes had evidence of AMD, highlighting the importance of examining both eyes, with close follow-up thereafter, in order to detect and treat CNV earlier as needed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 104 (5) ◽  
pp. 684-690 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katrin Fasler ◽  
Dun Jack Fu ◽  
Gabriella Moraes ◽  
Siegfried Wagner ◽  
Eesha Gokhale ◽  
...  

Background/AimsNeovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) is frequently bilateral, and previous reports on ‘fellow eyes’ have assumed sequential treatment after a period of treatment of the first eye only. The aim of our study was to analyse baseline characteristics and visual acuity (VA) outcomes of fellow eye involvement with nAMD, specifically differentiating between sequential and non-sequential (due to macular scarring in the first eye) antivascular endothelial growth factor treatment and timelines for fellow eye involvement.MethodsRetrospective, electronic medical record database study of the Moorfields AMD database of 6265 patients/120 286 single entries with data extracted between 21 October 2008 and 9 August 2018. The data set for analysis consisted of 1180 sequential, 807 non-sequential and 3410 unilateral eyes.ResultsMean VA (ETDRS letters±SD) of sequentially treated fellow eyes at baseline was significantly higher (63±13), VA gain over 2 years lower (0.37±14) and proportion of eyes with good VA (≥70 letters) higher (46%) than the respective first eyes (baseline VA 54±16, VA gain at 2 years 5.6±15, percentage of eyes with good VA 39%). Non-sequential fellow eyes showed baseline characteristics and VA outcomes similar to first eyes. Fellow eye involvement rate was 32% at 2 years, and median time interval to fellow eye involvement was 71 (IQR: 27–147) weeks.ConclusionThis report shows that sequentially treated nAMD fellow eyes have better baseline and final VA than non-sequentially treated eyes after 2 years of treatment. Sequentially treated eyes also had a greater proportion with good VA after 2 years.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katrin Fasler ◽  
Gabriella Moraes ◽  
Dun Jack Fu ◽  
Siegfried K. Wagner ◽  
Eesha Gokhale ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTBackground/AimsNeovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) is frequently bilateral, and previous reports on ‘fellow eyes’’ have assumed sequential treatment after a period of treatment of the first eye only. The aim of our study was to analyse baseline characteristics and visual acuity (VA) outcomes of fellow eye involvement with nAMD, specifically differentiating between sequential and non-sequential (due to macular scarring in the first eye) anti-vascular endothelial growth factor treatment and timelines for fellow eye involvement.MethodsRetrospective, electronic medical record database study of the Moorfields AMD database of 8174 eyes/120,756 single entries with data extracted between October 21, 2008 and August 9, 2018. The dataset for analysis consisted of 1180 sequential, 413 nonsequential, and 1110 unilateral eyes.ResultsMean VA of sequentially treated fellow eyes at baseline was significantly higher (62±13), VA gain over two years lower (0.65±14), and proportion of eyes with good VA (≥20/40 or 70 letters) higher (46%) than the respective first eyes (baseline VA 54±16, VA gain at two years 5.6±15, percentage of eyes with good VA 38%). Non-sequential fellow eyes showed baseline characteristics and VA outcomes similar to first eyes. Fellow eye involvement rate was 32% at two years, and median time interval to fellow eye involvement was 71 (IQR 27-147) weeks.ConclusionThis reports shows sequentially treated nAMD fellow eyes have better baseline and final VA than non-sequentially treated eyes after 2 years of treatment. Sequentially treated eyes also had a greater proportion with good VA after 2 years of treatment.PRECISDepending on age, fellow eye involvement occurs in 32% of patients with neovascular AMD by two years. Fellow eyes generally maintain better vision, except in cases where late-stage disease in the first eye was untreated.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 438-444
Author(s):  
Eliot R. Dow ◽  
Jennifer O. Adeghate ◽  
Peter G. Coombs ◽  
Mrinali Gupta Patel ◽  
Donald J. D’Amico ◽  
...  

Purpose: This article assesses anatomical and visual outcomes after intravitreal antivascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) treatment in fellow eyes with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted of 349 patients diagnosed with wet AMD between 2005 and 2017 at a single academic institution. Initial diagnosis of unilateral wet AMD and a minimum follow-up time of 1 year after diagnosis were required for inclusion. Individuals were excluded if the initial diagnosis of wet AMD was made at an outside institution, if they had received prior treatment at another institution, or if they had bilateral wet AMD at the time of inclusion. Best-corrected visual acuity, optical coherence tomography (OCT) parameters, and frequency and type of intravitreal anti-VEGF injections were recorded. MedCalc Statistical Software version 17.6 (MedCalc Software) and GraphPad Software (GraphPad Software, Inc) were used for statistical analysis. Results: Of the 349 patients with wet AMD, 192 were included in the study (55%). Of these, 47 (24.5%) developed wet AMD in the fellow eye. The average time to second-eye conversion was 2.6 years, with fellow-eye conversion more likely to occur after 2 years of unilateral disease. On average, patients received 2.16 fewer injections per year in the fellow eye compared with the initially diagnosed eye ( P = .03), and fellow eyes tended to have better OCT results after 12 months of treatment. In addition, compared with ranibizumab and bevacizumab, aflibercept injections appeared to improve visual acuity both in initially diagnosed and fellow eyes. Conclusions: Exudative AMD in the fellow eye has a decreased treatment burden and better visual outcomes compared with the initial eye, which may be attributed to more frequent surveillance and early diagnosis.


Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the major cause of blindness for the elderly population in the developed world. Although vision loss is mainly due to the neovascular form, dry AMD remains a challenge for ophthalmologists because of the lack of effective therapies. The Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) demonstrated the protective effect of dietary supplementation of antioxidants to slow down the progression of dry AMD. On the other hand, there has been no proven drug treatment for dry AMD to date. This review is aimed to discuss recent non-nutritional treatments for dry AMD and geographic atrophy.


2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Keng Siang Lee ◽  
Shuxiao Lin ◽  
David A. Copland ◽  
Andrew D. Dick ◽  
Jian Liu

AbstractAge-related macular degeneration (AMD), a degenerative disease in the central macula area of the neuroretina and the supporting retinal pigment epithelium, is the most common cause of vision loss in the elderly. Although advances have been made, treatment to prevent the progressive degeneration is lacking. Besides the association of innate immune pathway genes with AMD susceptibility, environmental stress- and cellular senescence-induced alterations in pathways such as metabolic functions and inflammatory responses are also implicated in the pathophysiology of AMD. Cellular senescence is an adaptive cell process in response to noxious stimuli in both mitotic and postmitotic cells, activated by tumor suppressor proteins and prosecuted via an inflammatory secretome. In addition to physiological roles in embryogenesis and tissue regeneration, cellular senescence is augmented with age and contributes to a variety of age-related chronic conditions. Accumulation of senescent cells accompanied by an impairment in the immune-mediated elimination mechanisms results in increased frequency of senescent cells, termed “chronic” senescence. Age-associated senescent cells exhibit abnormal metabolism, increased generation of reactive oxygen species, and a heightened senescence-associated secretory phenotype that nurture a proinflammatory milieu detrimental to neighboring cells. Senescent changes in various retinal and choroidal tissue cells including the retinal pigment epithelium, microglia, neurons, and endothelial cells, contemporaneous with systemic immune aging in both innate and adaptive cells, have emerged as important contributors to the onset and development of AMD. The repertoire of senotherapeutic strategies such as senolytics, senomorphics, cell cycle regulation, and restoring cell homeostasis targeted both at tissue and systemic levels is expanding with the potential to treat a spectrum of age-related diseases, including AMD.


2021 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 62-68
Author(s):  
Dmitry A. Konyaev ◽  
Evgenia B. Popova ◽  
Anton A. Titov ◽  
Nikolay M. Agarkov ◽  
Maksim M. Yablokov ◽  
...  

The priority problem of various industrial and developing countries, which largely determine the health of the population and, above all, older age groups, is currently eye diseases. Most modern researchers consider age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, and cataracts to be eye diseases. Socially significant eye diseases have a high prevalence and are the leading cause of blindness in various countries. Authors analyzed the prevalence of glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, and cataracts according to domestic and foreign publications in recent years. The results of the studies considered in the scientific review indicate a continuing gain in socially significant eye diseases, the frequency of which increases with age. The high incidence of the studied pathology is observed in China, India, and Russia. The study shows socially significant eye diseases to be the most critical problem in various countries, including the Russian Federation. The relevance of this pathology will increase due to the ongoing aging of the population and an increase in their share in the demographic structure of many states. The high prevalence of age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, and glaucoma leads to an increase in the number of people on the planet with complete or partial vision loss, which significantly disrupts their social functioning and requires significant financial costs for treatment and ensuring an acceptable level and quality of life. The data presented in the review and obtained results are of practical importance for the organization of monitoring of eye diseases and the development of an appropriate state and health strategy.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Junyu Zhang ◽  
Yu Zhou

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of severe, permanent vision loss among the elderly in the developed world. The cellular and molecular pathogenesis of initiation and development of AMD remain poorly delineated. The limited resources of the human AMD RPE/choroid tissues impeded the extensive study of the disease. To better understand the molecular and pathway changes in human AMD RPE/choroid tissues, we searched the literature and found three independent studies using high-throughput technology to analyze gene expression in 54 human AMD RPE/choroid tissues and 46 age-matched healthy controls. We downloaded these data, pooled them together, and reanalyzed the difference between molecular and pathways by the Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) database. Totally, 353 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, among which 181 genes were downregulated and 172 genes were upregulated in RPE/choroid of AMD patients. Furthermore, several significantly enriched biological processes, including cancer, organismal injury and abnormalities, and ophthalmic disease, were identified associated with these DEGs. By analysis of canonical pathway, the phototransduction pathway and atherosclerosis signaling were the top two significant canonical pathways altered in RPE/choroid tissues in human AMD. As expected, several ophthalmic disease-related molecules, including RHO, PDE6A, 3′,5′-cyclic-GMP phosphodiesterase, and G protein alpha, were in the central nodes of disease network. The bioinformatics technology combined with the existing high-throughput data was applied to evaluate the underlying key genes and pathways in human AMD tissues, which may predict downstream and upstream biological processes and identify potential therapeutic intervention targets in human AMD.


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