Visual acuity, quality of life, and patient satisfaction after PDT treatment in AMD patients

Background. The efficacy of PDT to prevent the progression of AMD has been established. This study now assesses the patients' quality of life and self-reported satisfaction after PDT Material and methods. All patients who underwent PDT during 2000 and 2001 at the University Eye Hospital of Mainz were interviewed using an AMD-specific modification of a standardized 82-item questionnaire on quality of life and satisfaction in ophthalmological patients. Different aspects of those parameters were derived as scores, which were then related to clinical outcome parameters. Results. During the period of PDT treatment, the median decrease in visual acuity was three stages in the patients examined. Patients who reported a subjective increase in visual function during this period showed for example a median "private flexibility" score of 1.86, and patients with the subjective impression of a decrease in visual function a median score of 2.71. Conclusion. The established clinical efficacy of PDT treatment to prevent AMD progression coincides with an encouraging patient satisfaction after the treatment.