Monitoring both eyes after AMD diagnosis beneficial for bilateral disease

Key Takeaways

• A study showed that monitoring both eyes of patients with unilateral (in one eye) wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) led to early diagnosis of AMD in the second eye and better vision outcomes.
• The authors say that the results substantiate the need for regular monitoring of fellow eyes of unilateral wet AMD to prevent significant changes to retinal structure and function.

Monitoring both eyes of patients with unilateral wet (neovascular) AMD led to early diagnosis of AMD in the second eye and better vision outcomes, a study showed. At conversion of the second eye, visual acuity (VA) was substantially better compared with diagnosis of the first eye and remained better at all time points during 2 years of follow-up after conversion. In addition, quality-of-life (QoL) scores improved over time and had a significant correlation with VA in the second eye but not the first, reported Richard Gale, MBChB, PhD, of the University of York in England, and co-authors in Ophthalmology Retina. 

“Our study results substantiate the need for regular monitoring of fellow eyes of unilateral nAMD [neovascular AMD] to prevent significant changes to retinal structure and function,” they concluded. When a fellow eye converts to AMD, prompt treatment generally results in better visual function at diagnosis and over time, as compared with the first eye, Gale and colleagues noted in their introduction. 

Consistent with existing data, the study showed that about a fourth of patients with unilateral AMD subsequently develop the condition in the second eye, said Ninel Gregori, MD, of the University of Miami and spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Edited by Miriam Kaplan, PhD

Source: Charles Bankhead, MedPage Today, July 3, 2024; see source article