Vision
Outcomes of Intravitreal Anti-VEGF Therapy for Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration in Kazakhstan
By Marat Suleimenov, Baurzhan Kadyrgaliyev, Elmira Kanafyanova and 7 others.
Abstract
Background
Neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) is a leading cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. Although randomised controlled trials have demonstrated the robust efficacy of intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy, real-world outcomes often differ markedly from trial findings. This study aimed to evaluate the anatomical and functional outcomes of anti-VEGF therapy in a clinical cohort of nAMD patients, including a subgroup that received adjunctive rescue photodynamic therapy (PDT) with verteporfin.
Methods
This single-centre, retrospective observational cohort study included 568 patients (634 eyes) with nAMD treated with intravitreal anti-VEGF injections. Bevacizumab was used in 49% of eyes, ranibizumab in 44%, and aflibercept in 7%. Best recorded visual acuity (BRVA) and central retinal thickness (CRT) measured by optical coherence tomography (OCT) were recorded at baseline and at the final documented follow-up. Eyes with eccentric fixation were excluded from BRVA analysis but were retained for CRT analysis.