Creating awareness of early signs of geographic atrophy (GA), its progression, and discovering the best tools to assess the disease is key to developing successful management and referral approaches for patients with GA, according to a study published in BMJ Open Ophthalmology. Peter K. Kaiser, MD, and colleagues conducted the Geographic Atrophy Management Consensus, which consisted of three surveys and a virtual live meeting. The study featured a 15-memberexpert panel divided between five optometrists, five comprehensive ophthalmologists, a steering committee with three eye care professionals, and five retina specialists. The study team used the RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method to measure consensus on statements related to the management of patients with GA. The study noted consensus on 91% of the 77 statements at the end of the final survey. Crucial consensus topics included: 1) optical coherence tomography as the preferred method for diagnosing and monitoring GA, 2) ideal practice patterns concerning referral of patients to retina specialists, and 3) treatment criteria reflecting the initiation of emerging GA therapeutics.
