Bevacizumab in age-related macular degeneration – comparison of subjective estimation of vision with objective test results

P U R P O S E : Anti-VEGF therapy plays a great role in medicine, especially in opthalmology. The aim of the therapy is to inhibit the VEGF-A factors that are responsible for the angiogenesis in diseases such as the wet form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). One of the monoclonal anti-VEGF antibodies is bevacizumab (Avastin®; Genentech, Inc., South San Francisco, CA). The aim of the study was to compare the subjective estimation of visual acuity with objective test results in patients undergoing anti-VEGF therapy using Avastin. M A T E R IA L S A N D M ET H O D S : The authors report a study of 57 patients (37 females and 20 males) with exudative AMD whose near and distance visual acuity was examined before the first dose of Avastin and 1 month after the third injection. Additionally, an original questionnaire evaluating the subjective state of vision during the activities of daily routine was performed. R E S U L TS : When examining distance visual acuity, 29 patients made an improvement, deterioration was reported in 5 cases and in 23 cases the results remained unaltered. The results were correlated with the subjective estimation.