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The following is a summary of “Cost Effectiveness Analysis of Digital Therapeutics for Amblyopia,” published in the January 2025 issue of Ophthalmology by Koc et al.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to assess the cost-utility of Luminopia and CureSight as therapies for amblyopia compared to common treatments like glasses, atropine drops, and patching.
They performed a cost-utility analysis using patient preference-based time trade-off utility values. Eye examination costs were determined using reimbursement data, and device costs for treatment duration were provided by Luminopia and CureSight sales representatives. All treatments included eyeglass costs. Visual acuity (VA) and stereoacuity outcomes were extrapolated from randomized control trials (RCTs) for atropine, Luminopia, and CureSight. Quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) were calculated by multiplying utility gain, correlated with VA improvement, by the duration of benefit.
The results showed the cost of treating amblyopia with glasses for 12 weeks was $514, patching for 12 weeks cost $540, and atropine for 16 weeks cost $652. The Luminopia treatment for 12 weeks costs $1,951, while CureSight costs $1,564 or $1,814. The cost per QALY for glasses alone and patching was $427 and $101, respectively. Atropine treatment for 16 weeks had a cost/QALY of $151. The cost/QALY for a 12-week Luminopia treatment was $618, and for a 12-week CureSight, it was $368 or $427, with the 16-week CureSight treatment costing $314 or $354 (p<0.05). Cost per stereoacuity gain for 12-week treatments was $6,421/log arcsec (glasses), $1,801/log arcsec (patching), and $3,007/log arcsec or $3,488 (CureSight).
Investigators concluded the amblyopia treatment with Luminopia or CureSight was cost-effective compared to established willingness-to-pay thresholds, offering a potentially viable treatment option, particularly for individuals who cannot tolerate traditional patching or atropine penalization, with comparable cost-effectiveness observed for both technologies based on VA gains.
Source: aaojournal.org/article/S0161-6420(24)00801-7/abstract
