Proposal, Derivation, and External Validation of a Novel Geographic Atrophy Outcome Measure

Is it possible to derive a novel geographic atrophy (GA) end point that is a structural outcome measure but is aligned with visual acuity (VA) by empirical weighting of macular pixels arranged in concentric annuli?In this prognostic study including 1528 eyes of 1120 participants, the new outcome measure, Geographic Atrophy Weighted-by-Acuity Index (GAWAIN), was correlated more strongly with VA deficit than GA area was, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. It predicted VA according to 3 important clinical thresholds more accurately than GA area did, and the weights were highest at the fovea and decreased with increasing eccentricity.Results suggest that the novel GA outcome measure aligned with VA and provided a surrogate measure to track predicted functional decline objectively.

Corresponding Author: Tiarnán D. L. Keenan, BM BCh, PhD, Multidisciplinary Retinal Research Unit, Division of Epidemiology and Clinical Applications, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bldg 10, CRC, Room 10D45, 10 Center Dr, MSC 1204, Bethesda, MD 20892-1204 (tiarnan.keenan@nih.gov).

Link to the article in your story

We encourage you to link out to this article in your story using the link below. It includes an access token that will give free access to the article for your readers up to one year after publication. (The link will be live after the article publishes and embargo is lifted.)

Please see the article for additional information, including full author list, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.

Need more information? Contact us.