Visual acuity and its decrease in classic neovascular age-related macular degeneration.
OBJECTIVE
To identify factors affecting visual acuity and its decrease in eyes with subfoveal choroidal neovascularization (CNV) associated with age-related macular degeneration (AMD).


METHODS
Distance visual acuity was recorded at screening and up to five follow-up visits during the first year of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of oral prinomastat. Subjects had AMD in both eyes and neovascular AMD in at least one eye. Analysis employed a generalized linear mixed model.


RESULTS
Of 158 eligible subjects (age 56-90), 125 (79.1%) received prinomastat. Visual acuity was independently affected by relative acuity of the fellow eye, whether the study eye had been the first or second to develop CNV, age, current smoking, leakage area, and prior photocoagulation. Decrease in visual acuity score, unaffected by prinomastat, was less steep in eyes that had been second to develop CNV. Such eyes had a comparable time since CNV onset to other study eyes.


CONCLUSIONS
Fellow eye features independently affect visual acuity and its decrease in eyes with classic neovascular AMD.
Behrendt
Carolyn
C
Epidemiology, Pfizer Global Research and Development, La Jolla, California, USA. carolynbehrendt@yahoo.com
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D020256:Choroidal Neovascularization / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015990:Placebo Effect; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology*
D009930:Organic Chemicals; C113282:prinomastat