Ulusoy Mahmut Oğuz, Erseven Cansu, Erel Büşra, Çevik Sadık Görkem, Perente İrfan
Department of Ophthalmology, Bursa Yüksek İhtisas Research and Training Hospital, Bursa, Turkey.
Department of Ophthalmology, Beyoğlu Research and Training Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey.
Rom J Ophthalmol. 2025 Apr-Jun;69(2):164-168. doi: 10.22336/rjo.2025.27.
To evaluate the impact of the pandemic on the intravitreal injection treatment routine for patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration, regardless of lockdown periods.
We evaluated the data of intravitreal injections between March 2020 and June 1, 2021, which was the last day of official restrictions. We divided into two groups: a regular treatment group and a group that was interrupted for at least 3 months without excuse. The initial visual acuity at the beginning of the pandemic, the last visual acuity, the visual acuity after interruption, the central macular thickness, and the interruption time were recorded.
A total of 156 patients' data were evaluated. There are forty-eight patients in the regular treatment group, 77 in the interruption group, and 31 in the discontinued group. The visual loss was significantly higher in the interruption group (respectively, -0.11 ± 0.19 vs. 0.03 ± 0.16, p<0.001). Central macular thickness changes were higher in the interruption group (respectively, 31.8 ± 5.7µm vs. 13.5 ± 4.6, p<0.001). The mean interruption time was 6.71 ± 2.45 months.
Half of the patients in our study interrupted their treatment during the pandemic, and this interruption had a negative impact on their visual acuity and central macular thickness. In addition to COVID-19's own high mortality and morbidity, it also had adverse effects on patients who required regular follow-up and treatment.
Since interruptions in treatment negatively impact the prognosis of AMD, effective protocols that do not require frequent visits are necessary.
评估疫情对新生血管性年龄相关性黄斑变性患者玻璃体内注射治疗常规的影响，无论是否处于封锁期。
我们评估了2020年3月至2021年6月1日（官方限制的最后一天）期间的玻璃体内注射数据。我们将患者分为两组：常规治疗组和无故中断治疗至少3个月的组。记录疫情开始时的初始视力、最后视力、中断后的视力、中心黄斑厚度和中断时间。
共评估了156例患者的数据。常规治疗组有48例患者，中断组有77例，停药组有31例。中断组的视力损失明显更高（分别为-0.11±0.19对0.03±0.16，p<0.001）。中断组的中心黄斑厚度变化更大（分别为31.8±5.7µm对13.5±4.6，p<0.001）。平均中断时间为6.71±2.45个月。
我们研究中的一半患者在疫情期间中断了治疗，这种中断对他们的视力和中心黄斑厚度产生了负面影响。除了新冠病毒本身的高死亡率和发病率外，它还对需要定期随访和治疗的患者产生了不利影响。
由于治疗中断会对年龄相关性黄斑变性的预后产生负面影响，因此需要有效的方案，减少频繁就诊。
