AUG 07, 2018
Outcomes of Patients Lost to Follow-Up After Treatment for PDR
ASRS 2018
04:55
Retina/Vitreous
In this interview from ASRS 2018, Dr. Daniel Su describes his recent study assessing the outcomes from patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) who were lost to follow-up after treatment. The study revealed that up to 25% of patients are lost to follow-up after their first treatment of anti-VEGF or panretinal photocoagulation (PRP). When these patients returned, those who had initially received anti-VEGF therapy had significantly worse vision and anatomical outcomes compared with patients who were treated with PRP. Though vision decreased in both groups, only reinitiating PRP restored baseline vision. His analysis is an extension of a previous study in Ophthalmology that explored the demographics of patients who were lost to follow-up. According to Dr. Su, these findings emphasize that real-world outcomes are rarely comparable with those from clinical trials. In his own practice, he prefers to treat patients with PRP, reserving anti-VEGF therapy for patients with macular edema. However, when he has concerns or thinks a patient may be lost to follow-up, he reconsiders treatments accordingly.
Relevant Financial Disclosures: None