2026/07/31 by Nozomu Hashiya, Ichiro Maruko, Koji Tanaka +16
paper · doi:10.1007/s10384-026-01401-9
Abstract Purpose To evaluate 6-month outcomes of aflibercept 8 mg administered with two monthly injections followed by a treat-and-extend (TAE) regimen in treatment-naïve neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). Study design Multicenter retrospective study. Methods This study included 107 treatment-naïve eyes with nAMD, of which 91 eyes of 90 patients (mean age, 74.7 ± 9.4 years) followed for 6 months were analyzed. All eyes received two consecutive monthly injections of aflibercept 8 mg (induction), followed by TAE. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA, logMAR), optical coherence tomography (OCT)-based anatomical outcomes, and adverse events were assessed. Results Sixteen eyes were excluded, mainly due to being lost-to-follow-up or having had treatment changed to an alternative drug. No serious adverse events were observed. Mean BCVA improved from 0.43 ± 0.36 at baseline to 0.37 ± 0.42 at 6 months (P = 0.032). Retinal thickness, pigment epithelial detachment height, and subfoveal choroidal thickness significantly improved (all P Conclusions Eyes achieving a dry macula after two injections had higher 6-month dry rates than those requiring a third injection. Early treatment response may help predict treatment burden and guide individualized management strategies.