Short-Term Outcomes After COVID-19-Related Treatment Interruption Among Patients with Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration Receiving Intravitreal Bevacizumab

Abstract

Purpose

To assess outcomes and recovery strategy of patients undergoing intravitreal injections for exudative age-related macular degeneration who experienced COVID-19 related interruption in treatment during complete lockdown.

Methods

This was a retrospective, observational case study. We used a mixed effect model with random intercepts to evaluate best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) accounting for measured central macular thickness (CMT) and individual variability of each eye. Furthermore, we analysed measures of the pigmented epithelium detachment as well as presence of subretinal fluid and intraretinal cysts.

Results

We included 39 patients and we found a significant reduction in the BCVA between the pre- and post-lockdown controlling for CMT. There was no significant difference in pigmented epithelium detachment and in presence of subretinal fluid and intraretinal cysts.

Conclusion

We detected a significant loss in visual function. The magnitude of the average loss was, however, limited suggesting good efficacy of the recovery strategy.

Keywords:

• IVT interruption
• covid-19
• intravitreal injection
• bevacizumab

Acknowledgments

We acknowledge Mrs. Alison Rhodes for revising the English language in the manuscript.

Disclosure

Professor Mario Romano reports grants, personal fees from Alcon, Bausch and Lomb, Alfaintes, Novartis, Hoya, and Sooft, outside the submitted work. The authors report no other conflicts of interest in this work.

Additional information

Funding

No additional funding was received for this article.