Long-Term Outcomes of Treat and Extend Regimen of Anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration

This retrospective cross-sectional cohort study describes the long-term visual and anatomic outcomes of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatment using a treat and extend (TAE) regimen. The cohort consisted of 224 treatment-naïve eyes with age related macular degeneration (NV-AMD) from 202 patients that were treated with anti-VEGF agents bevacizumab, ranibizumab, and aflibercept using a TAE regimen by four physician investigators in a large urban referral center from 2008-2015. Subjects were evaluated for visual acuity, injection frequency and optical coherence tomography (OCT). Over a seven-year follow-up period (mean 3.4 years), an average 20.2 ± 14.7 injections were administered per patient. Visual acuity was 0.70 logMAR (20/100 Snellen) at the first visit and 0.67 logMAR (20/93 Snellen) at the final visit, with 74% of eyes maintaining or gaining more than 2 lines of vision. Longterm, 45.1% of eyes achieved 20/50 or better, while 27.1% were 20/200 or worse. 61.2% received monotherapy with no difference in visual acuity outcomes or injection frequency between the agent used. OCT analysis showed decreased fluid from initial to final follow-up visit: 70.1% to 15.6% with sub-retinal fluid (SRF) and 47.3% to 18.8% with intraretinal fluid (IRF) with no difference between the agent used. This study demonstrates that most patients (74%) improve or maintain visual acuity gains long-term using a TAE model with a significant portion (45.1%) achieving 20/50 or better with sustained treatment.