Table 2.

Interview transcript quotations: from concern about vision to diagnosis and initial treatment

Quote
“During a city council, I couldn't read the numbers because they would fade in front of me […] Before nAMD, I had very good vision”
“[nAMD] came very abruptly—practically within 1–2 days. I noticed while reading that something was wrong. I became active quickly […] I thought maybe the eye was inflamed, conjunctivitis. But by a lucky circumstance, I got an appointment with the ophthalmologist on 30 December, who was on emergency duty”
“I had the first symptoms in May 2018 while driving, blurred images. And then, more classically, distorted images and a dark spot: the famous black spot. Since I have a little medical background, I recognised nAMD. After that, I went to the ER to report what I had observed. Obviously, they didn't take it well; when you come in as a patient and make your own diagnosis, it's usually not well perceived. I was given a series of tests. That led to what I had expected”
“I went to my old opticians […], and he said 'I can refer you to the hospital.' He told me that I'd got dry macular and he said there's not an awful lot we can do for dry macular, we can just give you a prescription as and when. So I thought well if that's the case (that's the case as it was then). And then my husband went to an optician […] and I said 'when you go,' I said 'will you just mention to them that I've got macular and just see what they say…’”
“I think with my neighbour having it, I know all about it, well what he's gone through”
“In the beginning, you're lost, you wait for [nAMD] to go away”
Answering, “Did you feel you were fully informed at that point?” “What is fully informed? If I knew what fully informed was, then I could say that”
“He only said it was nAMD. ‘I prescribe you 3 IVT,’ that’s it […] What else do you expect him to tell me? […] he's got bigger fish to fry than explaining to the patient details about his pathology”

ER emergency room, IVT intravitreal injections