# Recent daily life burdens associated with neovascular age-related macular degeneration involve difficulties in use of electronic devices

## TL;DR

This study explores how neovascular age-related macular degeneration affects daily life, especially the use of electronic devices, in elderly patients.

## Contribution

A new questionnaire was developed and validated to assess daily life burdens specific to nAMD patients.

## Key findings

- Patients with bilateral and severe nAMD had significantly higher burden scores across all domains.
- Network models revealed key interactions between daily living and hand-eye coordination, and between electronic device use and face recognition.
- The study highlights the importance of ongoing treatment for managing daily life challenges in nAMD patients.

## Abstract

Neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) is a prevalent cause of permanent vision loss and blindness in the elderly worldwide, with a significant impact on patients’ daily lives. However, burdens related to nAMD from the patients’ perspective have not been well documented. Here we developed a new questionnaire after eliciting nAMD patients’ daily challenges followed by a pilot survey. Seven daily life burden domains were identified, and a quantitative survey was conducted using the questionnaire in the real-world clinic. Of the total 153 participants (mean age, 76.3 ± 8.3 years), 67 (43.8%) had bilateral nAMD, and 79 (52.7%) were classified into severe nAMD according to the best-corrected visual acuity with cut-off value of 0.52 in logMAR. Patients with bilateral and severe nAMD had significantly higher burden scores across all domains. Network models for the bilateral and severe disease subgroups identified the interactions between “activity of daily living” and “hand–eye coordination” and between “use of electronic devices” and “face recognition” domains, which were considered to be important burdens for the patients. These results can advance ophthalmologists’ understanding of the impact of nAMD on patients’ daily lives and the importance of active and continuing treatment for patients with nAMD.