Genetic screening for neovascular AMD: cost effective…not so quick

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Medical Genetics
• Health Economics

Background:

• Brown and colleagues analyzed the cost-effectiveness of genetic screening for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in intermediate stages.
• Their analysis focused on Category 3 (intermediate) AMD patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To respond to the analysis by Brown et al. regarding the cost-effectiveness of genetic screening for intermediate neovascular AMD.
• To argue that current evidence makes it premature to consider genetic screening cost-effective in this context.

Main Methods:

• This is a letter commenting on a previously published study.
• The response relies on established clinical practices and cost-effectiveness principles.

Main Results:

• The authors argue that genetic screening for intermediate neovascular AMD is not currently cost-effective.
• A traditional clinical approach, including patient history and a macular examination, is presented as a highly cost-effective alternative.

Conclusions:

• It is premature to advocate for the cost-effectiveness of genetic screening in intermediate neovascular AMD.
• Clinical history and macular examination are sufficient and cost-effective methods for guiding screening strategies for AMD.