Page 114 - A Magyar Szemorvostársaság 2023. évi kongresszusa - Tudományos program és előadáskivonatok

diseases, as there is a pressing need for new biomarkers to establish a treatment plan or
prognosis.

Aim: We aimed to investigate the prevalence and practical significance of BALAD in patients
receiving intravitreal anti-VEGF injection treatment for AMD in the Department of
Ophthalmology of Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Hospital, and to compare our results with those available
in the literature.

Methods: Retrospective analysis. 500 eyes of 427 patients with AMD who received at least 3
intravitreal anti-VEGF treatments in our department were enrolled. BALAD was evaluated on
images obtained with Heidelberg Spectralis OCT.

Results: 9% of the eyes examined had BALAD on at least one image during the study, 60% in
foveal location. The average size of BALAD was 265 x 1445 microns. Only 2 of the 73 patients
treated for bilateral AMD had BALAD in both eyes. BALAD was detected in 82% at diagnosis,
in 9% at 2-5. months, but in 9% of cases it only appeared for the first time years later. BALAD
responded rapidly to treatment: 71% were not seen after the first treatment and 100%
disappeared after 3 treatments, although it showed up again in 3 eyes months later. The
disease progression in eyes showing signs of BALAD varied in the widest range, but on
average, the initial visual acuity decreased from 53 ETDRS letters to 49 by the end of an
average follow-up period of almost 20 months, during which time our patients received an
average of 12.4 injections.

Conclusion: In our experience, BALAD is a relatively common OCT feature in patients with
AMD, although not always an easily assessable parameter. Its prognostic significance and
predictive value are still subject to further investigation. However, a precise knowledge of this
phenomenon could also help us to understand more accurately the regenerative abilities of
photoreceptors, which in the long term could even lead to a new direction in the modern
treatment of AMD.