Intravitreal injections: past trends and future projections within a UK tertiary hospital

• Published in: Eye (London) Vol. 36; no. 7; pp. 1373 - 1378
• Main Authors: Chopra, Reena, Preston, Gabriella C., Keenan, Tiarnan D. L., Mulholland, Pádraig, Patel, Praveen J., Balaskas, Konstantinos, Hamilton, Robin D., Keane, Pearse A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01-07-2022; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 692/699/3161/3175; 692/700/565/1436; Age; Electronic medical records; Laboratory Medicine; Macular degeneration; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Ophthalmology; Pharmaceutical Sciences/Technology; Surgery; Surgical Oncology; Trends; United Kingdom > UK
• ISSN: 0950-222X; 1476-5454
• DOI: 10.1038/s41433-021-01646-3

Aims
To describe past trends and future projections for the number of intravitreal injections being administered at a large tertiary hospital in London, United Kingdom.
Methods
Retrospective data from Moorfields Eye Hospital were collected using the electronic medical record system. Descriptive statistics were used to visualise overall trends. Time series forecasting was used to predict the number of injections that will be administered up to and including the year 2029.
Results
The number of injections has increased nearly 11-fold from 2009 to 2019, with a total of 44,924 injections delivered in 2019. The majority of injections were given for the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Aflibercept formed 87% of injections administered in 2019. The number of injections is predicted to continue to increase every year, with nearly 83,000 injections forecasted in the year 2029.
Conclusion
The demand for intravitreal injections has increased substantially over the last decade and is predicted to further increase. Healthcare systems will need to adapt to accommodate the high demand. Other solutions may include longer-acting therapies to reduce the treatment burden.