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Purpose: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the main cause of visual loss in the elderly population. With the use of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor, the visual outcomes of exudative AMD patients have been improved. This study was aimed at assessing the quality of life (QoL) of exudative AMD patients treated with ranibizumab and at determining its drivers in a real-life setting. Methods: We performed a national, cross-sectional, observational survey based on questionnaires sent to members of French associations relative to AMD between December 2012 and March 2013. Patients suffering from exudative AMD with at least one intravitreal injection of ranibizumab within the last 6 months were included. Demographics, AMD characteristics, visual acuity (VA) and past and ongoing treatments were collected. The 25-item National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ-25) was self-administered. A multivariate model was used to identify QoL drivers. Results: 416 questionnaires fulfilled the complete criteria for both QoL and cost analyses. The mean age of exudative AMD patients was 78.0 years and bilateral involvement was reported in 60.4%. The overall mean QoL score was 53.4. Mental health, driving and role difficulties were the most widely affected domains. After bivariate analyses, long-term illness status, worse VA and higher number of unpaid aids were associated with worse QoL, with odds ratios of 2.4, 5.2 and 11.6, respectively. The mean cost per year and per patient was 1,741 EUR. The main components of costs were aids and services and the purchase of visual equipment. Conclusions: The main predictors of QoL in exudative AMD patients treated with ranibizumab are VA outcomes, home healthcare and social services provided to the patients.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to detect immune responses induced by intravitreal injection (IVT) of ranibizumab in patients with exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in real life conditions. Methods: An ELISA protocol from blood samples, following 2 different steps, was used to detect antibodies directed against the variable regions of ranibizumab. Results: Among 91 patients included, 46 received more than 10 IVTs, 36 had received 10 IVTs or fewer, and 9 were treatment naïve. Specific antiranibizumab immunoglobulins G were detected in 14/82 treated patients (17.1%). No immunization was detected among naïve patients. For patients with 10 or fewer previous IVTs, immunization against ranibizumab was detected in 4/36 patients (11.1%) whereas immunization was observed in 10/46 patients (21.7%) with more IVTs (p = 0.20). Conclusions: Immunization against ranibizumab can be detected in 17% of treated patients. Further clinical studies are needed to investigate the relationship between specific immunization to anti-vascular endothelial growth factor antibodies and response or resistance to ranibizumab treatments.