NCT04420923

Optimizing the Treatment Strategy for Age-related Macular Degeneration

A Randomised Controlled Trial Testing the Efficacy of the Treatment Strategy Observe-and-Plan Against Standard Treat-and-Extend in a Population of Newly Referred Patients With Age-related Macular Degeneration.

• Status: Active Not Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 250 (estimated)
• Sponsor: St. Olavs Hospital · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 50 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The purpose of this study is to compare two different treatment protocols for wet macular degeneration; the new protocol called "Observe and Plan" against the current standard protocol "Treat and Extend". Studies suggest that patients achieve equally good visual acuity with fewer controls and that they are more satisfied with the new protocol.

Detailed description

The purpose of the study is to test a new treatment protocol for wet macular degeneration, called "Observe and Plan", against today's standard protocol "Treat and Extend". Studies suggest that the individual treatment interval can be achieved earlier with "Observe-and-Plan" and that a proportion of patients do not need more than 3 injections, ie the loading dose. The other advantages seem to be that patients achieve good visual acuity with fewer controls and are more satisfied with the new protocol, which will be beneficial to both patients and health care. To our knowledge, no randomized controlled trial has tested this before.

Conditions

• Wet Macular Degeneration

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Observe and Plan	First the individual interval between the injections of anti-VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) is established by observing the time from the loading dose to recurrence of the disease. The patient will come to control every four weeks to establish this interval. Second, the patient will receive injections at intervals that are two weeks shorter than the observed period. 2-3 injections are given before the next control. The control should be no later than six months ahead.
OTHER	Treat-and-Extend	At the first control 4 weeks after the loading dose, the ophthalmologist assesses whether the macula is still wet or whether the macula is dry. In case of wet macula, the patient receives a new injection on the same day and a new control in 4 weeks. If the macula is dry, the patient will return in 2 weeks for the next injection, ie the injection interval is extended from 4 to 6 weeks. Patients will be controlled every time they are to receive an intravitreal injection. If the macula is dry, the injection interval will be extended by 2 weeks and if the macula is wet the interval is shortened by 2 weeks. The shortest interval will be 4 weeks.

Timeline

• Start date: 2020-05-20
• Primary completion: 2025-09-01
• Completion: 2026-09-01
• First posted: 2020-06-09
• Last updated: 2025-06-08

Locations

3 sites across 1 country: Norway