title: RISK FOR LOW VISUAL ACUITY AFTER 1 AND 2 YEARS OF TREATMENT WITH RANIBIZUMAB OR BEVACIZUMAB FOR PATIENTS WITH NEOVASCULAR AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate how patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration treated with ranibizumab or bevacizumab respond to treatment in daily clinical practice.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data from the Swedish Macula Register on the treatment received by 3,912 patients during 2011 to 2014 is reported. Patients' characteristics at the first visit, visual acuity, number of injections, and reason for terminating the treatment if applicable are discussed. Furthermore, the risk of having poor vision (visual acuity under 60 Early Treatment Diabetes Retinopathy Study letters or approximately 20/60 Snellen) is calculated for the treated eye after 1 year and 2 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The treatment outcome depends on the visual acuity at the first visit. For patients with visual acuity more than 60 letters, the risk of having a visual acuity lower than 60 letters after 1 year or 2 years of treatment is approximately 20%. However, for patients with low visual acuity at diagnosis (fewer than 60 letters), the risk is approximately 60%. The risk of having a visual acuity lower than 60 letters does not depend on the choice of treatment drug.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Treatment with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor intravitreal injections mainly maintains the visual acuity level, and only approximately 20% and 40% of the patients required vision rehabilitation after 1 year and 2 years, respectively.
authors.affiliation: *Department of Clinical Sciences/Ophthalmology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden; †Centre of Registers South, Blekinge Hospital, Karlskrona, Sweden; ‡Centre of Registers South, Skåne University Hospital, Lund, Sweden; and §Department of Radiology, Institution of Translational Medicine, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden.
authors.forename: Inger
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Westborg
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Albrecht
authors.forename: Aldana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rosso
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D000068258:Bevacizumab / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005654:Fundus Oculi; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D058449:Intravitreal Injections; D008266:Macula Lutea / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D000069579:Ranibizumab / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012042:Registries; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D013997:Time Factors; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D015354:Vision, Low / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000187:drug effects*; D057135:Wet Macular Degeneration / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D000068258:Bevacizumab; D000069579:Ranibizumab