Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39861747›Full record

ArticlePharmaceutics2025

Visual Acuity Outcomes and Influencing Factors in a Cohort of UK Real-World Diabetic Macular Oedema Patients During the First Two Years of Anti-VEGF Treatment.

Qing Wen, Helene Karcher, David M Wright, Samriddhi Buxy Sinha, Usha Chakravarthy, Catarina Santos, Franklin Igwe, Recivall Salongcay, Katie Curran, Tunde Peto

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Pharmaceutics, 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

10 authors.

Qing WenCentre for Public Health, Institute of Clinical Sciences, School of Medicine, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-4325-7829
Helene KarcherNovartis, Pharma AG, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0003-0798-4084
David M WrightCentre for Public Health, Institute of Clinical Sciences, School of Medicine, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-8948-3691
Samriddhi Buxy SinhaNovartis, Pharma AG, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.
Usha ChakravarthyCentre for Public Health, Institute of Clinical Sciences, School of Medicine, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, UK.
Catarina SantosNovartis, Pharma AG, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.
Franklin IgweNovartis, Pharma AG, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.
Recivall SalongcayCentre for Public Health, Institute of Clinical Sciences, School of Medicine, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-3930-025X
Katie CurranCentre for Public Health, Institute of Clinical Sciences, School of Medicine, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-7071-109X
Tunde PetoCentre for Public Health, Institute of Clinical Sciences, School of Medicine, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-6265-0381

Funding

Novartis, Switzerland C028-3004295266 /QUBR8881CPH
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND/

objectivesThe visual acuity (VA) outcomes after the first and second years of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) treatment in patients with diabetic macular oedema (DMO) were evaluated, and the factors associated with treatment success were investigated.

methodsUsing Medisoft electronic medical records (UK), this retrospective cohort study analysed VA outcomes, changes, and determinants in DMO patients at year 1 and year 2 after initial anti-VEGF injection. Descriptive analysis examined baseline demographics and clinical characteristics, while regression models were used to assess associations between these factors and changes in VA.

results728 DMO patients (1035 eyes) treated with anti-VEGFs (ranibizumab, aflibercept, or bevacizumab) at the Northern Ireland Mater Macular Clinic from 2008 to 2021 were evaluated. The mean age was 64.5 (SD 12.8) years, and 59.6% were male. In the first year, the median annual injection number and interval were 6.0 (IQR 5.0-8.0) and 6.1 weeks (IQR 5.4-7.8), respectively, and in the second year, they were 3.0 (IQR 2.0-5.0) and 10.0 weeks (IQR 6.5-20.1). In the first two treatment years, 83.4% and 79.8% of eyes had improved/stable VA (ISVA) respectively. The injection number, interval, baseline VA, age, and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) significantly impacted VA outcomes.

conclusionsOur study confirms the effectiveness of anti-VEGF treatments in improving or maintaining vision for DMO patients, consistent with previous real-world clinical data. An elder age, a better baseline VA, low annual injection numbers (<5), and less frequent injection intervals (≥12 weeks) were negatively associated with ISVA success in the first two years. These findings have implications for managing patient expectations, allocating resources, and understanding DMO clinical management.

Indexed as

anti-VEGF treatmentdiabetic macular oedemainjection treatmentvisual acuity

Identifiers

PMID39861747
PMCPMC11769381

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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 Socratic graph.