OBJECTIVES: Geographic atrophy (GA) is an advanced form of dry age-related macular degeneration and may lead to vision loss. Our systematic literature review aimed to assess the economic burden associated with GA and identify any gaps in the available evidence.

METHODS: A comprehensive search was performed across Medline and Embase databases. Studies published in the English language between 01/2013 and 06/2023 reporting the economic burden (cost and resource use) of GA were included using pre-defined eligibility criteria. Costs were converted to 2023 Euros. Resource use data reported across studies were meta-analysed using Stata.

RESULTS: Overall, four publications reporting three unique studies were included. Sample size ranged from 137 to 28,773 and mean age ranged from 69 to 83 years. Studies were conducted in the US (n=1), UK (n=1), and one was multinational (UK, Germany, Ireland, and Canada). GA-specific outpatient (OP) visits were required by 83% of patients. Emergency department (ED) visits were required by 12% of the patients whereas 6.8% of patients required an inpatient (IP) admission. The average length of stay in the IP setting was 5.5 days.

GA incurs substantial costs, with mean annual GA-specific OP visit costs ranging from €213 to €305. Further, mean annual costs for all-cause OP visits, ED visits, and IP admissions were reported as €2536, €360, and €9959, respectively. Patients with higher baseline severity require a greater number of OP visits and incur higher GA-specific costs. None of the included studies reported indirect costs associated with GA.

CONCLUSIONS: There is currently limited evidence regarding the economic burden of GA particularly around indirect costs. With promising new therapies being developed for the treatment of GA, further research is necessary to accurately estimate the economic burden associated with GA to identify interventions that can effectively reduce the burden on both healthcare systems and patients.