title: M-charts as a tool for quantifying metamorphopsia in age-related macular degeneration treated with the bevacizumab injections.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This article is aimed to assess quantitatively metamorphopsia using M-charts in patients suffering from wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) treated with the intravitreal bevacizumab injections and to compare the results with traditional Amsler grid and ocular coherence tomography (OCT).
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-six patients diagnosed with wet AMD were examined one day before and one month after the intraocular injection of bevacizumab. Horizontal and vertical metamorphopsia scores using M-charts, distance visual acuity, Amsler test and OCT were performed at each visit. Additionally, 23 healthy subjects were examined as a control group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The rate of metamorphopsia detection was 89% with M-charts and 69% with Amsler test. The horizontal metamorphopsia score improved in 22 patients, the vertical metamorphopsia score improved in 16 patients, the Amsler grid results improved in 6 patients, visual acuity improved in 17 patients. There was no correlation between the degree of metamorphopsia and the visual acuity or the central retinal thickness (CRT). The specificity of both the M-charts and Amsler grid was 100%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The rate of metamorphopsia detection in wet AMD patients was better with M-charts than with Amsler grid. M-charts may be used in the assessment of efficacy of treatment with intravitreal bevacizumab injections as another outcome measure, moreover they can be used even at home for the self-assessment. M-charts provide additional information concerning the visual function, independent of the visual acuity, CRT and morphological changes in OCT.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Ophthalmology, Medical University, Lublin, Poland. katarzynanowomiejska@mailcity.com
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nowomiejska
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oleszczuk
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brzozowska
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Grzybowski
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ksiazek
authors.forename: Ryszard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Maciejewski
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ksiazek
authors.forename: Anselm
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Juenemann
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rejdak
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000068258:Bevacizumab; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D058449:Intravitreal Injections; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014787:Vision Tests / Q000295:instrumentation*; D014792:Visual Acuity; D057135:Wet Macular Degeneration / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D000068258:Bevacizumab