Blue-Light Filtering Intraocular Lenses Slow Progression in AMD Patients: Study

A recent retrospective clinical cohort study investigated the impact of blue-light filtering (BLF) intraocular lenses (IOLs) on the development and progression of macular atrophy (MA) in patients suffering from neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). The key findings were published in the recent issue American Journal of Ophthalmology.

The study focused on patients who received anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) injections and underwent cataract surgery from 2007 to 2018 with follow-up extending until June 2023. The research included 373 eyes of 373 patients with an average age of 78.6 years at the time of surgery. Of these, a total of 206 eyes were implanted with BLF IOLs while 167 received non-BLF IOLs. Both groups had comparable follow-up durations and baseline parameters, including age, gender, corrected distance visual acuity, macular thickness and the number of anti-VEGF injections.

A total of 86 cases of MA were identified which comprised 9 pre-existing and 77 new-onset cases. The distribution of new-onset MA was similar between the BLF and non-BLF groups showed no significant difference (P=0.399). Also, univariate Kaplan-Meier and multivariate Cox regression analyses were adjusted for age and gender, indicated no significant difference in the hazard of developing new-onset MA between the two types of IOLs (HR 1.236, 95% CI 0.784-1.949, P=0.363).