Remote monitoring reduces office visit and treatment burden in some patients.
Digital healthcare provider, Notal Vision, announced the results from the first-ever prospective clinical trial using home-based optical coherence tomography (OCT) to manage neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nvAMD) patients in an investigational setting have been published in RETINA.
The publication demonstrated a significant reduction in office visits and treatment frequency, while visual acuity remained stable. The Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved trial enrolled 15 patients with nvAMD in at least one eye from three retina specialist practices in the US. A total of 21 eyes in the study were managed with home OCT over a period of 6 months.
The patients received the home OCT device through the Notal Vision Monitoring Center, which also provided virtual support and patient education. Patients did not receive any training on use of the device in the physician's office. The self-acquired scans were automatically uploaded to a secure cloud and reviewed periodically by the study investigators.
Physicians set time and structural biomarker-based thresholds to prompt notifications and assist in timely review of data. Treatment frequency and visual acuity outcomes were compared to the patients’ own past standard of care data, dating back to their diagnosis of nvAMD with a maximum of 2 years.
The reported results demonstrated a significant reduction in office visits and treatment frequency with the mean treatment interval increasing from 8 to 15.3 weeks.
The mean visual acuity remained stable.1 The investigators also looked at patient adherence and ability to successfully use the device. Patient adherence to home OCT use was high, with on average 6.2 scans per week in each eye.1
The trial follows a series of home OCT based studies that have demonstrated the ability of nvAMD patients to self-image conveniently at home over extended periods.
Reference:
- Holekamp, Nancy M., et al. "Prospective trial of Home OCT guided management of treatment experienced nAMD patients." RETINA (2024): 10-1097. DOI: 10.1097/IAE.0000000000004167