High-risk patients benefit from home monitoring

The Home Monitoring of the Eye (HOME) study, conducted in AREDS2 clinical centres, has demonstrated that patients at high-risk of developing choroidal neovascularization (CNV) - the neovascular or wet phase of AMD - benefit from using the ForeseeHome monitoring device (Notal Vision).

This controlled, randomized, clinical trial was conducted at 44 clinical centres across the US and enrolled 1,520 patients who were at high risk of developing CNV. Each centre evaluated whether monitoring with the ForeseeHome device plus standard care enabled faster detection of CNV compared with standard care alone.

It was found that at the time of CNV detection, 87% of eyes in the ForeseeHome group maintained visual acuity of 20/40 or better compared to 62% in the control group. Additionally, when CNV was detected the group using the home monitoring device lost fewer letters on visual acuity testing.

"Persons 60 year of age or older should undergo dilated eye examinations to determine their risk of developing advanced AMD, especially CNV," asserted Dr Jeffrey S. Heier, director of the Vitreoretinal Service and the director of Retina Research at Ophthalmic Consultants of Boston and one of the principle investigators of the HOME study. "In contrast to current home monitoring strategies, those with intermediate AMD (bilateral large drusen) or advanced AMD in one eye are likely to benefit from home monitoring with the ForeseeHome device to detect the development of CNV at an earlier stage with better preservation of their visual acuity to maximize visual acuity results after intravitreal therapy with anti-VEGF agents."

For more detailed information visit Notal Vision's website www.notalvision.com or view the manuscript on the journal Ophthalmology's site by clicking here