CLINICAL PROFILE AND VISUAL OUTCOMES OF INTRAVITREAL ANTI-VEGF THERAPY IN NEOVASCULAR AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION

Neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) is a leading cause of irreversible central vision loss in older adults. Intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy is the established first-line treatment, although outcomes in routine clinical practice may differ from those reported in pivotal randomised trials. To evaluate the clinical profile and short-term functional and anatomical outcomes of intravitreal anti-VEGF therapy in patients with treatment-naïve nAMD attending a tertiary care centre. In this prospective observational study, 60 treatment-naïve patients with nAMD were enrolled and followed for six months. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA, logMAR) and central macular thickness (CMT) on spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) were assessed at baseline and at 1, 3 and 6 months. All patients received an initial loading phase of three-monthly intravitreal anti-VEGF injections, followed by pro re nata (PRN) re-treatment based on disease activity. The mean age of the cohort was 68.4 ± 7.5 years; 56.7% of participants were male. Mean BCVA improved from 0.82 ± 0.21 logMAR at baseline to 0.64 at 3 months and 0.58 at 6 months, while mean CMT decreased from 412 ± 85 µm at baseline to 320 µm at 3 months and 295 µm at 6 months (all comparisons p < 0.05). Most patients achieved either stabilisation or improvement of vision at the end of follow-up. Intravitreal anti-VEGF therapy produced clinically meaningful and statistically significant improvements in both visual acuity and macular anatomy in patients with nAMD over six months. Early diagnosis, completion of the loading phase and structured follow-up appear central to securing these benefits in routine practice.