Background and Importance Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic macular oedema (DME) stand as the foremost causes of visual impairment among the elderly in developed nations, often resulting in severe loss of visual function or blindness. Visual impairment significantly hinders individuals’ ability to carry out daily activities and compromises their mobility.

Aim and Objectives The primary goal of this study was to assess the impact of intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapies (anti-VEGF) such as aflibercept, ranibizumab, or bevacizumab, as well as dexamethasone, on the improvement of vision-related quality of life (VQoL) in patients with AMD or DME.

Material and Methods This study encompassed patients with AMD or DME who received treatment with intravitreal anti-VEGF agents or dexamethasone. The recruitment period extended from November 2022 to August 2023, with a follow-up period of 6 months after the initiation or change of treatment. Follow-up and evaluation were facilitated through a remote tool that gathered patient-reported outcome questionnaires.

Two questionnaires were employed

• Spanish Low Vision Quality of Life Questionnaire (SLVQOL): Comprising 25 items, this questionnaire explored four distinct dimensions—distance vision, mobility and illumination, adaptation, reading and precision work, and daily life activities.

• National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire 25 (NEI VFQ-25): This questionnaire featured 25 questions, assessing 12 aspects including general health, general vision, ocular pain, near vision activities, distance vision activities, social functioning, vision-specific role difficulties, vision-specific mental health, dependency due to vision, driving, peripheral vision, and colour vision.

  Statistical analysis included paired t-tests using STATA software to compare means.

Results A total of 54 patients were enrolled, 47% being female and a mean age of 66.9 years. Among them, 72.3% had age-related macular degeneration, 27.7% had diabetic macular oedema, and 92.6% received treatment with anti-VEGF drugs (including 74% aflibercept, 3.8% bevacizumab, and 14.8% ranibizumab), while 7.4% were treated with dexamethasone.

From the baseline visit to the 6-month follow-up, an improvement in VQoL score was observed, although it did not achieve statistical significance:

SLVQOL from 97,31 points +28,43 to 101,57 + 31,6 (p=0.6)

NEI VFQ-25 from 66,47 points +18,32 to 68,57+23,91 (p=0.74)

Conclusion and Relevance In our study, the utilisation of anti-VEGF therapies or dexamethasone led to an enhancement in VQoL score at the 6-month mark, albeit not reaching statistical significance.

Conflict of Interest No conflict of interest.