Long-term monitoring of age-related macular degeneration with preferential hyperacuity perimetry.
OBJECTIVE
To estimate the efficacy and usability of preferential hyper-acuity perimetry (PHP) for monitoring patients with high-risk intermediate age-related macular degeneration (AMD).


METHODS
A long-term, observational, prospective case series of patients with intermediate AMD who underwent fluorescein angiography at recruitment. Eyes were examined every 3 months with PHP, visual acuity, and biomicroscopy. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging was performed when PHP was outside normal limits. In case of suspected findings in OCT, fluorescein angiography was also performed. Patients diagnosed as having choroidal neovascularization (CNV) were offered anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy.


RESULTS
Twenty-six eyes (25 patients) were monitored for a mean follow-up period of 600 days. Of the 172 PHP tests done by these 26 eyes with intermediate AMD, 158 were within normal limits yielding a false-positive rate of 8.1%. Three of 4 eyes that converted to CNV had PHP test results outside normal limits before or on the day of diagnosis.


CONCLUSIONS
PHP is useful for detecting CNV in regularly monitored eyes with intermediate AMD while maintaining a low false-positive rate.
Stur
Michael
M
Netzhautklinik, Vienna, Austria. michael.stur@reflex.at
Manor
Yair
Y
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D020256:Choroidal Neovascularization / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014792:Visual Acuity; D058609:Visual Field Tests / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards