Can the Onset of Atrophic Age-Related Macular Degeneration Be an Acceptable Endpoint for Preventative Trials?

The slowly progressive nature of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) means that establishing the efficacy of novel preventative treatments aiming to slow progression of disease, remains challenging, and where earlier endpoints are needed to improve their feasibility. This review examines whether the onset of atrophic AMD, as seen as anatomical signs on optical coherence tomography termed nascent geographic atrophy, could act as a useful surrogate endpoint for early intervention trials.