Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40379450›Full record

ArticleThe British journal of ophthalmology2025

Anti-VEGF injections and macular atrophy progression in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration in remission.

Nehal Nailesh Mehta, Ines Doris Nagel, Akshay Agnihotri, Fritz Gerald Paguiligan Kalaw, Anna Heinke, Lingyun Cheng, Dirk-Uwe Bartsch, William R Freeman

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The British journal of ophthalmology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Nehal Nailesh MehtaOphthalmology, UCSD, San Diego, California, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4653-2021
Ines Doris NagelOphthalmology, UCSD, San Diego, California, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4649-6764
Akshay AgnihotriOphthalmology, UCSD, San Diego, California, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0001-4624-8250
Fritz Gerald Paguiligan KalawOphthalmology, UCSD, San Diego, California, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3940-2272
Anna HeinkeOphthalmology, UCSD, San Diego, California, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7115-8767
Lingyun ChengOphthalmology, UCSD, San Diego, California, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0748-5173
Dirk-Uwe BartschOphthalmology, UCSD, San Diego, California, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0955-8708
William R FreemanOphthalmology, UCSD, San Diego, California, USA wrfreeman@health.ucsd.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9979-2500

Funding

Vision BiostatisticsP30EY022589 · NEI · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · PI LINDA M ZANGWILL · 2012 to 2026
$10.3M
Intracellular RNA Nanoparticle Therapeutics to Treat Retinal NeovascularizationR01EY035262 · NEI · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · PI William R. Freeman, Michael J Sailor · 2023 to 2026
$1.7M
SCH: Multimodal Retina Image Alignment and ApplicationsR01EY033847 · NEI · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO · PI BARTSCH, DIRK-UWE G, FREEMAN, WILLIAM R. · 2021 to 2024
$1.2M
NEI NIH HHS P30 EY022589NEI NIH HHS R01 EY033847NEI NIH HHS R01 EY035262
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimsTo determine the effect of continuing anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) injections on the progression of macular atrophy (MA) during remission of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD).

methodsIn this retrospective cohort study, 59 eyes with nAMD with at least 6-month remission (disease inactivity) were analysed and were grouped into two. In group 1, anti-VEGF injections were stopped after remission (holiday). In group 2, injections were continued despite inactivity (maintenance).Using blue autofluorescence images via Heidelberg Spectralis, MA area was measured at initial injection, remission onset and the latest available remission point. The absence of subretinal haemorrhage, intraretinal fluid, subretinal fluid or subretinal hyper-reflective material associated with fluid on serial spectral domain optical coherence tomography scans was used to confirm the inactivity of the disease (remission). The rate of progression of MA during the period of remission was measured for the two groups.

resultsIn group 1, 30 eyes received a mean of 16.97 injections over 39.2 months, followed by 21 months of drug holiday. In group 2, 29 eyes received a mean of 27.1 injections over 62.16 months, followed by a mean of 11.59 injections over 19.32 months for maintenance. The MA in the maintenance group progressed faster than the holiday group during remission (p=0.03).

conclusionsMaintenance injections for nAMD in remission significantly increase progression of MA.

Indexed as

Angiogenesis InhibitorsMacula LuteaRanibizumabVascular Endothelial Growth Factor AWet Macular DegenerationAgedAged, 80 and overAtrophyBevacizumabDisease ProgressionFemaleFluorescein AngiographyFollow-Up StudiesHumansIntravitreal InjectionsMaleAngiogenesis InhibitorsBevacizumabRanibizumabVascular Endothelial Growth Factor AVEGFA protein, humanAge-Related Macular DegenerationRetina

Identifiers

PMID40379450
PMCPMC13001793

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.