{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,8]],"date-time":"2025-05-08T04:12:38Z","timestamp":1746677558750,"version":"3.40.5"},"reference-count":24,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,7]],"date-time":"2025-05-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1746576000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n<jats:title>Main objective<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Compare treatment outcomes of newly diagnosed neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) during and after the COVID-19 restrictions.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n<jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>This retrospective study at the Retina Group of Washington analyzed nAMD patients treated with anti-VEGF therapy with\u2009\u2265\u200912 months of follow-up. Two groups were identified: 258 subjects diagnosed between March 2020-March 2022 (Group 1) and 376 subjects diagnosed after (Group 2). Primary outcomes were 12-month and final best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), and number of injections in the first 12 months.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n<jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Initial mean BCVA was 20\/71 and 20\/68 in Group 1 and Group 2, with median BCVA of 20\/60 and 20\/50, respectively. At 12 months, mean BCVA improved to 20\/65 and 20\/54 in Group 1 and Group 2, respectively (p\u2009=\u20090.086). Final mean BCVA was 20\/76 for Group 1 and 20\/58 for Group 2 (p\u2009=\u20090.010). The mean change in LogMAR BCVA from the time of conversion to last follow-up was\u2009+\u20090.03 for Group 1 and -0.08 for Group 2 (p\u2009=\u20090.007). Group 1 had fewer injections in the first year of therapy (8.67 vs. 9.21, p\u2009=\u20090.004). 38.8% of Group 1 reached BCVA \u226520\/40 at 12 months, versus 48.9% for Group 2 (p\u2009=\u20090.011).<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n<jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Patients diagnosed during the COVID-19 restrictions period had worse visual outcomes than those diagnosed thereafter. Multiple factors, including, but not limited to reduced treatment frequency, likely contributed to worse visual outcomes.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0323253","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,7]],"date-time":"2025-05-07T17:38:59Z","timestamp":1746639539000},"page":"e0323253","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Comparing visual outcomes of nAMD treatment during and after the COVID-19 restrictions period"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"20","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-8692-6618","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Mike Y.","family":"Chen","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jeanette","family":"Du","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Brian K.","family":"Do","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1077-2341","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Mohsin H.","family":"Ali","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,7]]},"reference":[{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0323253.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"473","DOI":"10.1016\/j.mcna.2021.01.003","article-title":"Age-Related Macular Degeneration","volume":"105","author":"CJ Thomas","year":"2021","journal-title":"Med Clin North Am"},{"key":"pone.0323253.ref002","article-title":"Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Epidemiology, Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment","author":"H Vyawahare","year":"2022","journal-title":"Cureus"},{"issue":"21","key":"pone.0323253.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"8242","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms21218242","article-title":"Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration: Therapeutic Management and New-Upcoming Approaches","volume":"21","author":"F Ricci","year":"2020","journal-title":"Int J Mol Sci"},{"key":"pone.0323253.ref004","first-page":"917","volume-title":"Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration (nAMD): A Review of Emerging Treatment Options. 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