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A modified protocol of anti-VEGF treatment produces proficient outcomes for patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers

 

Denver, Colo.—Intravitreal injections of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) are approved treatments for many ophthalmic conditions, like neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nvAMD), with positive outcomes. However, retina clinics are experiencing an overload of anti-VEGF compounds and patients, caregivers, and clinic staff enduring large time investments. One new study presented this week at the 2022 Annual Meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) in Denver, Colo. explored an alternative treatment protocol to improve clinic efficiency and found that this new treatment protocol was as efficient as the standard protocol.

Researchers from the Hadassah Medical Center Department of Ophthalmology in Israel conducted a study that compared the outcomes of nvAMD patients treated with the conventional treat and extend protocol (TAE) and a modified treat and extend protocol (MTAE). The conventional TAE protocol is the standard protocol consisting of patients getting a full evaluation at every visit that consists of dilated fundus examination, visual acuity, optical coherence tomography (OCT) before the injections are dispensed. The MTAE protocol is the modified protocol consisting of patients having a full evaluation visit one in every three visits and the OCT is enacted during the other two visits to guide retreatment with the injections.

One cohort began their anti-VEGF therapy from January 2006 to December 2011 and were treated using the standard protocol. The next cohort began their treatment from January 2016 to December 2017 using the modified protocol. After 36 months of follow-up, the researchers compared the time spent per encounter and the anatomical and visual outcomes between both cohorts. The TAE cohort had 135 eyes and the MTAE cohort had 119 eyes. Lead researcher Brice Nguedia Vofo, MD, FICO, and the team found that both groups had akin baseline characteristics and produced similar anatomical and visual outcomes. The service and waiting time at the clinic were reduced during the OCT-only evaluations in comparison to the full evaluations “saving an average of 41 minutes for each patient encounter.” Vofo pointed out that the MTAE “protocol could further streamline the management of age-related macular degeneration patients; by reducing the contact and waiting time of the patients and caregivers in the clinic; without sacrificing the clinical results.”

  • Abstract title: Clinical outcome of a modified treat-and-extend protocol in the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration
  • Presentation start/end time: Tuesday, May 3, 3:47 – 4:04pm MT
  • Location: 205/207 (Denver Convention Center)
  • Also available on the virtual meeting site at https://arvo2022.arvo.org/ beginning May 11
  • Abstract number: 3119

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The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) is the largest eye and vision research organization in the world. Members include approximately 10,000 eye and vision researchers from over 75 countries. ARVO advances research worldwide into understanding the visual system and preventing, treating and curing its disorders. Learn more at ARVO.org.

All abstracts accepted for presentation at the 2022 ARVO Annual Meeting represent previously unpublished data and conclusions. This research may be proprietary or may have been submitted for journal publication. Embargo policy: Journalists must seek approval from the presenter(s) before reporting data from paper or poster presentations. Press releases or stories on information presented at the ARVO Annual Meeting may not be released or published until the following embargo dates:

  • May 1: Official launch of presentations of all posters (both presented in-person and virtually)
  • Rolling basis: Paper session, Symposia, Minisymposia, Cross-sectional Groups, and invited speaker sessions that have specific presentation times will be embargoed until the end of those individual time slots.

Media contact:
Jenniffer Scherhaufer
1.240.221.2923
media@arvo.org

 

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