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The association between optical density ratio of intraretinal fluid and visual acuity in neovascular age related macular degeneration after 36 months of follow up

Eye volume 39, pages 2031–2035 (2025)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Objective

To investigate the prognostic significance of optical density ratio (ODR) of intraretinal fluid (IRF) on best corrected visual acuity (deltaBCVA) in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) treated with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agents.

Methods

In this retrospective study, optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans of treatment-naïve eyes with nAMD treated with anti-VEGF injections were reviewed. ODR of retinal fluid compartments was calculated using strict and flexible methods in each OCT image. We used linear mixed models to investigate the relationship between ODR values on OCT and deltaBCVA after 36 months of follow up.

Results

We included 86 eyes of 78 patients. We found negative associations between strict ODR of IRF (p = 0.02; coef. –0.05, 95% CI –0.10, –0.01), and flexible ODR of IRF (p = 0.03; coef. –0.05, 95% CI –0.10, –0.01), and deltaBCVA after 36 months. ODR of SRF and PED were not significantly associated with deltaBCVA.

Conclusion

This is the largest study to investigate the relationship between ODR in nAMD patients and deltaBCVA. Eyes with higher ODR values of IRF are less likely to have a deterioration in BCVA over 36 months of follow up. ODR could be used as another OCT prognostic biomarker for BCVA in nAMD patients.

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Fig. 1: ODR measurements of retinal cystic spaces.

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Data availability

The anonymised collected data are publicly available as open data through the Figshare repository at: [https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.28620632.v1].

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Author information

Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: Nir Stanescu, Khaled Khalifa.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, Assuta Samson Hospital, Ashdod, Israel

    Nir Stanescu & Roee Arnon

  2. Faculty of Medicine, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Be’er Sheva, Israel

    Nir Stanescu

  3. Department of Ophthalmology, Meir Medical Centre, Kfar Saba, Israel

    Khaled Khalifa, Arie Y. Nemet, Itamar Arbel & Ori Segal

  4. Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Khaled Khalifa, Arie Y. Nemet, Itamar Arbel & Ori Segal

  5. Department of Ophthalmology, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Centre, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Gilad Rabina

  6. Division of Ophthalmology, Beilinson Hospital, Rabin Medical Centre, Petach Tikva, Israel

    Noa Geffen

Authors
  1. Nir Stanescu
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  2. Khaled Khalifa
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  8. Ori Segal
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Contributions

N.S. and K.H. were equally responsible for the data collection and analysis and wrote the manuscript. R.A was responsible for data collection, drafting and critical review of the manuscript. G.R., A.Y.N., I.A., N.G. were also responsible for parts of data collection and critical review of the manuscript. O.S. was responsible for data collection, drafting and critical revision of the manuscript. All authors contributed to conceptualisation and approved the final version of the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ori Segal.

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Stanescu, N., Khalifa, K., Arnon, R. et al. The association between optical density ratio of intraretinal fluid and visual acuity in neovascular age related macular degeneration after 36 months of follow up. Eye 39, 2031–2035 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41433-025-03792-4

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