Comparison of visual outcomes of polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy and typical neovascular age-related macular degeneration—up to 10 years of follow-up

Purpose: To investigate long-term visual outcomes of patients with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) and typical neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) in the real-world setting. Methods: Retrospective, multicenter, noninterventional consecutive cohort study. Two hundred eighty-five eyes of 261 patients with PCV and 902 eyes of 877 patients with typical nAMD, who could be followed up 1 year or longer from 2005 to 2018, were included. Mean changes in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) from baseline in the PCV and the typical nAMD groups were compared. Results: Mean follow-up period of total patients was 4.3 ± 2.8 (1–10) years. Baseline BCVA was better in the PCV group than that in the typical nAMD group (0.59 ± 0.52 versus 0.79 ± 0.63 logMAR, p < 0.001). The mean changes in BCVA from baseline in the PCV and nAMD group were +2.1 and −0.1 letters at 1 year, −0.2 and −3.7 letters at 3 years, −3.9 and −10.5 letters at 5 years and − 8.7 and − 12.1 letters at 7 years, respectively. Before 2006, the initial BCVA was sustained for approximately 1 year in eyes with PCV and for less than half year in eyes with typical nAMD. However, after 2007, when anti-VEGF agents were available, the initial BCVA was sustained for 4 years in eyes with PCV, while it was sustained for 1 year in eyes with typical nAMD. Conclusion: In the real-world, long-term BCVA deteriorated in both PCV and typical nAMD groups, but the PCV group showed better visual outcomes than the typical nAMD group.