Older mCNV patients suffer from worse vision

Older patients with myopic choroidal neovascularization (mCNV) have poorer vision than their younger counterparts and are more likely to develop concomitant vitreoretinal interface abnormalities (VIA), a recent study has found.

“In addition, baseline best-corrected visual acuity [BCVA], external limiting membrane [ELM], CNV lesion size, and CNV lesion location were correlated with BCVA after 1 year of conbercept therapy. Baseline central macular thickness [CMT] may be a predictor of relapse in older mCNV patients during the one-year follow-up,” the researchers said.

Sixty-four eyes from 64 newly diagnosed CNV patients (mean age, 51.03±13.56 years, 67.2 percent women) were included in the study. Thirty-nine were aged ≥50 years, while the remaining 25 were younger.

Twenty-one patients in the older group had 12-month follow-up data available and were included in further analyses. VIA was significantly more visualized in the older group, according to Fisher’s exact test (p=0.032). Mean BCVA was higher in the older group (p=0.018) and subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) was lower (p=0.004).

Stepwise multivariate regression analysis found that baseline BCVA (B, 0.517; p=0.013) and ELM integrity (B, 0.418; p=0.036) were significant and independent prognostic factors of final BCVA after 12 months of follow-up.

Recurrence of mCNV was detected in seven of the 21 elderly patients (33.3 percent), occurring after an average of 9.40±4.83 months after the first injection. Higher baseline CMT was a significant predictor of recurrence.