Incidence of choroidal neovascularisation in the fellow eye in neovascular age‐related macular degeneration patients and its correlation with type of drusen

Aims/Purpose: To study the incidence of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in the fellow eye of patients with neovascular age‐related macular degeneration (nAMD) and its association with the presence and type of drusen. Methods: This is a retrospective study reviewing patient records' between 2018 and 2022. Forty‐four patients with newly‐diagnosed unilateral nAMD were included. All patients have been followed up for at least 4 years. The presence and type of drusen (soft, hard, pachydrusen/PED) were documented. The risk of developing nAMD in the fellow eye was estimated depending on age, gender, type of drusen, choroidal thickness and other factors. Results: The presence of soft drusen, pachydrusen/PED and hard drusen was documented in 46.4%, 25.3% and 18.9% of patients, respectively. The risk of developing CNV in fellow eye, overall, was 20.7%. In particular, the risk in any drusen group was significantly increased in comparison with the group without drusen (vs. 3.5%, p