Objective:

To analyze the effects of current therapies for dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and their functional benefits for patients, emphasizing the need for understanding both efficacy and functional outcomes.

Key Findings:

• Pegcetacoplan slowed GA lesion growth by 21% in the OAKS trial.
• Avacincaptad pegol reduced GA growth by 27% in the GATHER1 trial.
• Both therapies did not show significant improvements in key secondary visual function endpoints, raising questions about their overall clinical significance.
• Location and size of GA lesions influence treatment efficacy and functional benefits.

Interpretation:

While both therapies effectively slow GA progression, their impact on visual function remains uncertain, highlighting the need for further research on long-term outcomes and implications for patient care.

Limitations:

• Lack of significant visual function improvements in clinical trials despite reduced GA growth, with specific challenges in assessing functional vision due to the late onset of significant vision loss in dry AMD.
• Difficulty in correlating quantitative improvements in GA growth with clinically meaningful visual function benefits.

Conclusion:

Further studies, such as the ongoing GALE extension study, are necessary to clarify the long-term functional benefits of pegcetacoplan and avacincaptad pegol for patients with dry AMD, underscoring the urgency of this research.