Abstract
BackgroundThe National Eye Institute 39-Question Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI VFQ-39) is an indicator of vision-related quality of life (QoL). The NEI VFQ-39 is used to assess the QoL in patients with non-infectious posterior uveitis, intermediate uveitis, or panuveitis, treated with subconjunctival (SCJ) or intravitreal (IVT) sirolimus as an immunomodulatory therapeutic (IMT) agent, delivered subconjunctivally (SCJ) or intravitreally (IVT) (the SAVE Study). Thirty subjects with non-infectious uveitis were randomized (SCJ:IVT, 1:1) for a prospective clinical trial. The 39-Question Visual Function Questionnaire (VFQ-39) was administered at baseline (BL), month 6 (M6), and month 12 (M12) visits. The survey measures self-reported vision health status for patients with chronic eye disease and assesses the effects of visual impairment on both task-oriented visual function and general health domains. In accordance to the NEI-VFQ Manual, each patient’s questionnaire was converted to a scaled score between 0 (worst) and 100 (best), and median scores were calculated for each of the subcategories and overall composite score at BL, M6, and M12. Wilcoxon signed-rank test was performed.ResultsTwenty-six patients completed the VFQ-39 at BL and M6, whereas 23 patients completed it at M12. Patients showed a significant improvement in pooled composite scores from BL to M6 and BL to M12. Analysis by treatment groups showed that intravitreal injection of sirolimus is better tolerated.ConclusionsSirolimus has demonstrated bioactivity as an IMT and corticosteroid-sparing agent to treat non-infectious uveitis. Patients receiving intravitreal injection of sirolimus showed overall improvement of vision-related health while those receiving subconjunctival injections did not. Larger randomized control trials with sirolimus are indicated to validate these results.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00908466Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12348-015-0044-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
The National Eye Institute 39-Question Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire 39-Item (VFQ-39)) is an indicator of vision-related quality of life (QoL)
Periocular, intraocular, and systemic corticosteroids are the mainstay of primary immunosuppressive therapy as well as the only United States Federal Drug Agency (US-FDA)-approved drug class in the United States for treatment of non-infectious uveitis [3]
A randomized, open-label safety, and bioactivity clinical study was conducted at the Wilmer Eye Institute on 30 patients with non-infectious intermediate uveitis, posterior uveitis, and panuveitis in accordance with the Sirolimus as therapeutic Approach to uVEitis (SAVE) Study protocol [10]
Summary
The National Eye Institute 39-Question Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI VFQ-39) is an indicator of vision-related quality of life (QoL). The NEI VFQ-39 is used to assess the QoL in patients with non-infectious posterior uveitis, intermediate uveitis, or panuveitis, treated with subconjunctival (SCJ) or intravitreal (IVT) sirolimus as an immunomodulatory therapeutic (IMT) agent, delivered subconjunctivally (SCJ) or intravitreally (IVT) (the SAVE Study). Uveitis is the fourth most common cause of blindness among the working-age population in the developed world [2]. It is responsible for approximately 10% of the cases of blindness in USA [2]. Newer steroid-sparing agents (such as sirolimus, adalimumab, and gevokizumab) are being developed and evaluated for the treatment of non-infectious uveitis
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