Socioeconomic burden of advanced Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) in the United States of America (USA), Germany and Bulgaria.

This study estimated the economic and social costs of advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD), including wet AMD and geographic atrophy, in the USA, Germany and Bulgaria.

The estimated annual costs were €449 million in Bulgaria, €7.6 billion in Germany and €43 billion in the USA. Surprisingly, direct medical expenses accounted for only 8–11% of the total costs. Much of the burden came from reduced quality of life and well-being, lost productivity and the impact on patients and their caregivers.

The main contributors differed between countries: reduced well-being accounted for the largest share of costs in Germany and Bulgaria, while lost productivity was the largest contributor in the USA.

Nabin Paudel; Laura Brady; Petia Stratieva; Avril Daly: ARVO Annual Meeting Abstract  |   June 2023