Background: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a common eye disease that can cause blindness in older adults. The "wet" form of AMD, called neovascular AMD, happens when abnormal blood vessels grow under the retina and leak fluid. The current standard treatment requires repeated eye injections of anti-VEGF drugs, often every month or every few months. This frequent injection schedule is a heavy burden for patients and many cannot keep up with the treatment plan.
Purpose: This study tests whether a single session of low-intensity laser applied to the diseased area, given just before the anti-VEGF injection, can help the drug reach the target more effectively. If this works, patients may need far fewer injections over time.
Intervention: Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups. The experimental group will receive the laser treatment followed by an anti-VEGF injection within 6 hours. The control group will receive the anti-VEGF injection alone, according to the current standard regimen. Four different anti-VEGF drugs are allowed in this study: conbercept, aflibercept, ranibizumab, and faricimab.
Participants: The study plans to enroll at least 240 patients with active neovascular AMD across five hospitals in China. All participants must be at least 50 years old and meet specific eligibility criteria.
Follow-up: All participants will be followed for 24 months with monthly clinic visits. The study will record the total number of injections received, changes in vision, fluid status on eye scans, and any side effects.
Primary Outcome: The main measure is the total number of anti-VEGF injections each participant needs over the 24-month period. The study will compare the experimental group and the control group to see whether the laser-enhanced approach reduces the injection frequency.
Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
Participants in this arm receive a single session of 577-nm laser photocoagulation applied to the active macular neovascularization lesion (located ≥ 300 μm from the foveal centre), followed by an intravitreal injection of anti-VEGF agent (conbercept, aflibercept, ranibizumab, or faricimab) within 6 hours after laser. Retreatment during the 24-month follow-up is repeated when signs of active disease recur, using the same combination therapy.
Participants in this arm receive intravitreal injection of anti-VEGF agent (conbercept, aflibercept, ranibizumab, or faricimab) alone according to the standard 3+PRN (pro re nata) regimen. Retreatment during the 24-month follow-up is given when signs of active disease recur, using anti-VEGF injection alone.
Subthreshold Laser Treatment in Intermediate Age-related Macular Degeneration With Nascent Geographic Atrophy Study
Safety and Efficacy Study of LX102-C01 Treatment of Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration (nAMD)
OPT-302 With Aflibercept in Neovascular Age-related Macular Degeneration (nAMD)
Mechanisms of Retinal Revascularization and Clinical Indicators of Neovascular AMD Relapse