[Progression assessment for geographic atrophy].

Abstract

In addition to the development of macular neovascularization (MNV), geographic atrophy (GA) is one of the late stages of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and can lead to irreversible severe visual impairment. Standardized and precise quantification of GA areas, based primarily on fundus autofluorescence and optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging, is important for progression monitoring. Various factors such as foveal involvement, lesion location, focality of GA and perilesional autofluorescence patterns play an important role in the assessment of GA progression. Automated analytical techniques based on artificial intelligence (AI) are emerging in the detection, assessment, quantification and prediction of disease progression. As there is currently no causal therapy for GA, measuring progression in GA is becoming increasingly more important in order to monitor current treatment options with complement inhibitors and to test in studies novel therapeutic approaches to slow down the course of the disease. A progression analysis based on structural and functional degeneration parameters could optimize the counselling of patients, treatment decisions and patient monitoring in the future.