Asia-Pacific Technology and Trend Survey 2016-2017

To report the results of a survey conducted among retina specialists in the Asia-Pacific region on real-life practice patterns in the management of vitreoretinal diseases.

Prospective questionnaire-based study.

In 2016 and 2017, a link was sent to 1400 retinal specialists across the Asia-Pacific region by e-mail, which directed to a web-based questionnaire (Google forms or Survey Monkey) with secure confidential access. Answers to some of the common questions were compared with the domestic and global trends results of the 2016 American Society of Retina Specialists Preferences and Trends survey.

Of 1400 retinal specialists who received the email broadcast, 539 (38.5%) and 200 (14.3%) completed the survey in 2016 and 2017, respectively. Among those who completed the survey, approximately 85% practiced combined medical and surgical retina. In the management of wet age-related macular degeneration, ranibizumab was the drug of choice (41% of respondents) in 2016, and bevacizumab (48%) in 2017. In the management of polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy, both combination of verteporfin photodynamic therapy and anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) (59% of respondents) and intravitreal aflibercept monotherapy (53%) were preferred. Anti-VEGF treatment remained the first choice for center-involving diabetic macular edema (DME) (78% in 2016 and 87% in 2017) and switching to dexamethasone implant in nonresponding DME was preferred after 6 anti-VEGF injections (42% in 2016 and 53% in 2017).

The survey revealed information that may be close to real-world practices in the Asia-Pacific region and could be of help to understand the transformation of global trends and practices due to evolving evidence and technologies.