Untreated AMD worsens vision

Delaying treatment in patients with subfoveal neovascular age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD) correlates to progressive and substantial loss of visual acuity (VA), according to a report published online ahead of print by Eye.

Luis Arias, MD of Bellvitge University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain and colleagues conducted a retrospective, multicentre, epidemiological study of patients referred to retina specialists following a diagnosis of wet AMD.

The researchers found that the median time period elapsing between diagnosis and the first treatment visit was 2.3 months, and the percentage of patients with a VA of 20/400 or worse doubled from diagnosis (12.4%) to initial treatment visit (24.7%). Length of time between diagnosis and treatment showed a high statistically significant correlation to VA degeneration.

The team concluded that substantial VA loss results from untreated wet AMD.