Visual impairment due to age‐related macular degeneration during 40 years in Finland and the impact of novel therapies

PURPOSE: To evaluate the changes in visual impairment (VI) due to age‐related macular degeneration (AMD) during the past 40 years and the impact of novel therapies at population level. METHODS: In this nationwide register‐based study, we assessed the incidence, prevalence, severity, and onset age of VI due to AMD based on the Finnish Register of Visual Impairment data from 1980 to 2019. Our data included 30 016 visually impaired persons with AMD as the main diagnosis for VI. The number of persons treated with intravitreal injections in Finland was obtained from hospital data kept by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare. RESULTS: Between the 1980s and the 2010s, the incidence of reported VI doubled; however, this increase has stagnated in the 2010s. Since 2012, the prevalence of reported VI has decreased. The number of patients treated with intravitreal injections showed a 40‐fold increase during 2005–2019. The severity of reported VI has decreased whereas the mean age at the onset of reported VI has increased during the 40 years. The age‐adjusted incidence and prevalence of reported VI were significantly higher in females in comparison to males in all decades. CONCLUSION: Increase in the incidence and prevalence of VI due to AMD in the past decades has stagnated and shifted to older age in the 2010s when therapies for exudative class became commonly available. Furthermore, the prognosis of VI has improved during the past 40 years. These positive trends are likely contributable to improved diagnostic tools, earlier diagnoses, and new therapy options.