This study aimed to determine the relation of best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and low luminance visual acuity (LLVA) in proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) following treatment with either aflibercept or pan-retinal photocoagulation (PRP). The study was conducted as a post-hoc analysis of the CLARITY trial in which naïve and PRP treated PDR patients were randomised to receive either aflibercept or PRP. BCVA and LLVA were assessed at baseline and at week 52. Our analyses showed that the BCVA and LLVA correlate well in treatment naïve PDR with an average low luminance deficit of 11.79 Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Score (ETDRS) letters. However, LLVA at lower levels of BCVA showed more variance. Post aflibercept therapy, the mean change in BCVA and LLVA at 52 weeks after aflibercept was +2.1 (SD 6.05) letters and +0.39 (SD 5.6) letters, respectively. Similarly, after PRP, it was -2.5 (SD 4.9) letters and -1.9 (SD 8.7) letters, respectively. When comparing treatment arms, BCVA change was found to be statistically significant (p < 0.001) whereas LLVA was not (p = 0.11). These findings show that LLVA does not respond as well as BCVA following any treatment for PDR, even though BCVA and LLVA both test foveal function.
Keywords: aflibercept; best corrected visual acuity; low luminance deficit; low luminance visual acuity; pan-retinal photocoagulation; proliferative diabetic retinopathy.