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When copay help dries up, patients lose sight. A 2025 survey of 455 retina specialists found that 94% reported care disruptions tied to underfunded copay assistance programs, with many patients being switched to cheaper — but less effective — therapies or dropping out of care altogether. Ophthalmologists are calling on industry and policymakers to step up before vision loss becomes irreversible.
Underfunded copay assistance programs are creating a quiet crisis in retinal care. A 2025 survey of 455 members of the American Society of Retina Specialists found that 99% were concerned about the patient impact of underfunded programs, and 94% reported actual disruptions in care. The fallout? Physicians are switching patients with wet AMD or diabetic macular edema (DME) to cheaper alternatives like bevacizumab — and for patients with geographic atrophy, many are simply discontinuing treatment altogether.
The ripple effects are measurable. After therapy switches, 84% of surveyed physicians reported increased injection frequency, and 63% said patients were lost to follow-up due to financial hardship. A Vestrum database study of nearly 330,000 eyes found that DME patients in the lowest income quartile were 1.3 times more likely to lose vision than those in the wealthiest areas.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: Access to longer-acting, more effective retinal therapies shouldn't depend on a patient's zip code or bank account. As copay assistance programs remain strained, the burden falls disproportionately on underserved communities — and the vision loss that follows may be irreversible.
