Clinical & Experimental Ophthalmology
September 2021

Neovascular age-related macular degeneration: A review of findings from the real-world Fight Retinal Blindness! registry

Vuong Nguyen, Daniel Barthelmes, Mark C Gillies

Abstract

The use of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitors has revolutionised the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) since the pivotal Phase III studies demonstrated their efficacy more than 10 years ago. The Fight Retinal Blindness! project was developed to track the treatment outcomes of patients with nAMD in real-world practice. Data from this registry have been used to answer several clinically relevant questions related to the treatment of nAMD including the effect of under-treatment, the comparative effectiveness of different anti-vascular endothelial growth factor agents, long-term treatment outcomes, identifying optimal treatment regimens and the rate and outcomes of rare adverse events. Observational studies are a valuable complement to the shortcomings of clinical trials and a combination of data from real-world settings and clinical trials are necessary to provide evidence on how to achieve the best outcomes for individual patients with nAMD.