Effect of Fu's Subcutaneous Needling for Age-related Macular Degeneration

Best Corrected Visual Acuity

The best corrected visual acuity at distance and near will be tested as the main outcome after 2-week treatment，which is the mid period of intervention.During vision testing, paticipants stand 5 meters from the chart with one eye covered. The chart height is adjusted so the 1.0 line aligns with their eye level. For near vision assessment, the subject positions themselves 25 cm from the vision chart with one eye occluded.

Best Corrected Visual Acuity

Measuring vision at different time points compared with the primary outcome

Visual Function Questionnaire 25

The NEI-VFQ-25 is a 25-item version questionnaire of the NEI-VFQ (National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire),widely applied in ophthalmic studies including cataract and macular degeneration, with established reliability and validity. The Chinese version was created through cultural adaptation and professional translation. This study employs the version provided by Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University.The questionnaire comprises two subscales: visual function (12 items) and quality of life (13 items). Each item scores from 0(worst) to 100(best) , where higher scores indicate better quality of life. Different from the English original's 5/6-point scale, the Chinese version converted to 4 point scale scoring follows a reverse-calculation method: each question's score equals 4 points minus the points selected. Domain scores are summed to generate the total visual function score.

OCTA metrics

The SPECTRALIS OCT Angiography Module (Heidelberg Engineering) was utilized for fundus blood flow signal acquisition. FAZ,VD,CMT and CT will be collected as OCTA metrics of dAMD.The"FAZ Measurement" function will automatically quantify the foveal avascular zone (FAZ) area (mm²), corresponding to the superficial capillary plexus (SCP) of the macula ,and the "Density"function quantifies vessel density (VD) and automatically generates an en face projection map, providing the percentage of vascular area occupancy across the entire macula, with regional analyses of the fovea, parafovea, and temporal/superior/nasal/inferior macular sectors.The digital calipers tool within the OCT software was utilized to measure central foveal thickness (CFT) and central macular thickness (CMT).Choroid thickness (CT) will be measured vertical distance from the outer edge of the retinal pigment epithelium to the choroidal-scleral interface manually.

Visual field

The Humphrey Field Analyzer enables precise quantitative measurement of retinal light sensitivity thresholds with SITA Standard program 10-2, specifically applicable for macular field testing.Operators perform visual field examinations via touchscreen or keyboard interface at pre-treatment, post-treatment, and follow-up phases. During testing, the patient remains seated with the non-tested eye occluded, stabilizes their chin and fixates on the central target of the gaze tracking system. Each perceived light stimulus triggers a press of the handheld response button. If patients feel tired, a prolonged button press can activate a pause, allowing them to rest before resuming the measurement.