Objective:

To examine whether community optometrist-led monitoring of patients with quiescent neovascular age-related macular degeneration (QnAMD) is noninferior to hospital-based monitoring.

Approach:

Key Findings:

• Community optometrists had a false-negative rate of 3.8%, compared to 7.8% in the hospital group, meeting the noninferiority margin.
• False-positive rates were higher in the community group (8.4% vs 3.5%), indicating a tendency toward overreferral.
• The study emphasized the need for a carefully selected and trained group of optometrists operating within a structured shared-care pathway.

Interpretation:

The results should not be interpreted as applicable to all community optometrists, as the study involved a specifically trained and accredited group operating under a structured system.

Limitations:

• The study's findings may not be directly applicable to other healthcare systems due to differences in optometrist credentialing and training.
• The referral pathways and classification categories available to community optometrists may not reflect standard practices elsewhere.

Conclusion:

The FENETRE trial results must be interpreted cautiously and not generalized without considering local healthcare structures.

Sources:

• FENETRE Trial
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