BCVA stands for Best Corrected Visual Acuity, which is a key indicator commonly used in ophthalmic clinical trials to evaluate a patient's visual acuity. It is the visual acuity measured when the patient is wearing the best corrective lenses (such as glasses or contact lenses) and reflects the best level of vision the patient can achieve with proper refractive correction.
The measurement of BCVA typically uses standardized vision charts, such as the ETDRS (Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study) chart, which provides a unified and quantified method for assessing visual acuity. The ETDRS chart uses the LogMAR (logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution) scoring system, allowing scoring letter by letter, thus providing higher accuracy for visual acuity measurement.
In clinical research, BCVA is an important indicator for evaluating the effectiveness of ophthalmic treatment methods and can serve as a primary endpoint to assess the impact of new treatments on vision improvement. Furthermore, the standardized measurement and data collection of BCVA are crucial for the success of clinical trials. Standardized processes with certified and centralized data review help accurately quantify changes in visual acuity.
Improvement in BCVA is generally considered a sign of successful treatment, especially in treating retinal diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic macular edema (DME). In the late stages of certain eye diseases, traditional efficacy endpoints may not be applicable, and new clinical endpoints may need to be developed to measure treatment effects, such as multi-luminance mobility testing (MLMT) or full-field stimulus testing.
In summary, BCVA is an important clinical indicator used to evaluate the visual acuity of ophthalmic patients and the effectiveness of treatments. It is of great significance for guiding clinical treatment decisions and new drug development.