@article {Lotery1303, author = {Andrew Lotery and Xiao Xu and Gergana Zlatava and Jane Loftus}, title = {Burden of illness, visual impairment and health resource utilisation of patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration: results from the UK cohort of a five-country cross-sectional study}, volume = {91}, number = {10}, pages = {1303--1307}, year = {2007}, doi = {10.1136/bjo.2007.116939}, publisher = {BMJ Publishing Group Ltd}, abstract = {Background/aims: Quantitative data regarding the impact of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (NV-AMD) on individuals and society is a prerequisite for rational decision-making processes when evaluating alternative treatments for the disease.Methods: 75 bilateral NV-AMD (patients) and 91 elderly non-AMD (controls) subjects forming the UK cohort of an international cross-sectional, observational study were independently analysed. Subjects completed a telephone survey including the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ-25), the EuroQol (EQ-5D), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), history of falls and health resource utilisation.Results: Patients with NV-AMD reported substantially worse vision-related functioning and overall well-being, including higher depression scores, than controls after adjusting for age, gender and co-morbidities (adjusted mean scores: NEI-VFQ-25 overall 52.7 vs 90.7, p\<0.0001; EQ-5D 0.67 vs 0.77, p = 0.0273; HADS depression 6.8 vs 4.0, p = 0.0026). Significantly more patients reported a need for assistance with daily activities compared with controls (25.3\% vs 6.6\%, p = 0.003). Total annual healthcare utilisation costs were more than sevenfold higher for patients with AMD compared with controls ({\textsterling}3,823.89 vs {\textsterling}517.05, respectively; p\<0.0001)Conclusions: Patients with NV-AMD show a significant decline in quality of life and increased need for daily living assistance compared to a control population without AMD. With the availability of effective new therapies there is a need for improved early access to treatment.}, issn = {0007-1161}, URL = {https://bjo.bmj.com/content/91/10/1303}, eprint = {https://bjo.bmj.com/content/91/10/1303.full.pdf}, journal = {British Journal of Ophthalmology} }