2° level degree in Medicine and Surgery – G.D’Annunzio University, Chieti-Pescara (July 2016)
Thesis title: Optical coherence tomography angiography in retinal vein occlusions.
Final degree mark: 110/110 L.
Medical License obtained on February/2017.
Residency in Ophthalmology at Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan (1/2022)
Large Choroidal Vessels as a Risk Factor for Idiopathic Choroidal Neovascularization Marco Battista, Lisa Checchin, Riccardo Sacconi, Andrea Saladino, Francesco Bandello, et al. Ophthalmic Surgery Lasers and Imaging Retina, 2025 Background and Objective: Idiopathic macular neovascularization (iCNV) is a rare and juvenile maculopathy affecting otherwise healthy individuals. The long-term visual prognosis is better than other CNVs. However, scarce insights on the disease mechanisms have been identified. The role of mechanical compression exerted by a pachyvessel is explored in this study. Patients and Methods: Patients affected by iCNV, with no evidence of previous retinal/uveitis diseases, were retrospectively enrolled. For every patient, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), optical coherence tomography (OCT) data and angiographic exams were collected at baseline and after anti-VEGF therapy (follow-up). OCT parameters, including choroidal thickness (ChT), were compared with a dataset from a control group of healthy subjects. Results: Sixteen eyes of 16 patients (18.7% male, 41.2 ± 14.9 mean age) were enrolled. The mean number of intravitreal injections of anti-VEGF to reach anatomical stability was 2.2 ± 1.68. Twelve eyes (75%) displayed at least one large choroidal vessel below (10/12) or in strict proximity (2/12) of the neovascular net. The mean pachyvessel diameter was 80.4 ± 33.3 µm. No statistically significant differences were found at baseline between ChT parameters in the iCNV group and the control group, and no changes in ChT were observed in the iCNV group after the intravitreal treatment. Conclusion: Pachyvessels may act as a local factor in favoring the onset of iCNV. Choroidal thickness did not change during follow-up, excluding inflammatory congestion.
Rasch analysis of the NEI-VFQ-25: vision-related quality of life in Leber hereditary optic neuropathy after lenadogene nolparvovec gene therapy Benson S Chen, Stéphanie Perot, Magali Taiel, Patrick Yu-Wai-Man, Mike Horton BMJ Open Ophthalmology, 2025 Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the suitability of the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEI-VFQ-25) for measuring vision-related quality of life (VRQoL) in patients with Leber hereditary optic neuropathy receiving lenadogene nolparvovec gene therapy in three Phase III randomised controlled clinical trials. Methods VRQoL was assessed using the NEI-VFQ-25 at baseline (n=174) and 2 years after treatment (n=152). All participants received lenadogene nolparvovec in at least one eye. The scoring structure of the original NEI-VFQ-25 was evaluated for fit to the Rasch model, and a post hoc revision was created and psychometrically reevaluated. Stacked analysis was conducted to compare Rasch-revised scores at baseline and 2 years after treatment. Results The original NEI-VFQ-25 exhibited multiple issues including limitations in response functioning and scale dimensionality. These issues were rectified by revising the NEI-VFQ25 into two separate unidimensional scales measuring ‘Vision-related Activity Limitation’ (VAL) and ‘Socioemotional Functioning’ (SEF). Participants’ mean VAL score at baseline on a Rasch-transformed 0–100 scale was 46.1 (11.7), improving to 48.4 (13.7) after treatment (F(1, 324) = 2.67, p=0.103). On the SEF scale, there was a significant difference 2 years after treatment, with participants improving from a mean score of 40.1 (14.1) at baseline to 49.6 (17.6) (F(1, 324) = 29.1, p<0.001). Conclusions The scoring structure of the original NEI-VFQ-25 has limitations that undermine its psychometric validity as a measure of VRQoL. Using the Rasch-revised NEI-VFQ-25, we determined that improvement in VRQoL after treatment with lenadogene nolparvovec was driven predominantly by an improvement in socioemotional functioning.
Machine Learning Applied to Visual Fields of Dominant Optic Atrophy Patients Catarina P. Coutinho, Ferdinando Zanchetta, Michele Carbonelli, Marco Battista, Alice Galzignato, et al. Translational Vision Science and Technology, 2025 Purpose Identification and quantification of characteristic visual field (VF) patterns in patients with dominant optic atrophy (DOA) using the archetypal analysis (AA) machine learning algorithm. Methods In this retrospective study, we collected 30-2 or 24-2 VFs performed with Humphrey Visual Field analyzer from 144 patients (280 eyes) affected by molecularly confirmed DOA carrying OPA1 heterozygous mutation. The VFs were randomly separated into a training set (224 VFs, 80%) and test set (56 VFs, 20%). An AA model was developed by decomposing the VFs of the training set into archetypes (ATs). Spearman correlations were calculated between ATs’ weights and mean deviation (MD) and visual acuity (VA). Statistical comparison was performed between ATs weights according to mutation subtype groups. Results The DOA-AA model was composed of eight ATs with a high performance in the test set (R2 = 0.88). According to the Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study (OHTS) classification, the central/ceco-central scotoma resembling ATs presented the highest weights (24%) followed by superior defects (13%). ATs with more abnormal VF resembling defects correlated most with MD (AT5-8), whereas only the total loss AT7 with VA (P value < 0.01). Subtype mutations linked with worse clinical features had statistically significantly higher weights for worse ATs (AT7, P < 0.001). Conclusions The developed AA model allowed the identification and quantification of VF patterns in DOA. Furthermore, a clinical genotype-phenotype association was supported by the comparison of severity at VF AA decomposition. Translational Relevance AA enables an objective identification of quantifiable visual field defects intrinsic to DOA providing functional details based on genotype.
Inner retinal thickness in Stargardt disease Maurizio Battaglia Parodi, Alessandro Arrigo, Lorenzo Bianco, Alessio Antropoli, Andrea Saladino, et al. European Journal of Ophthalmology, 2024 PurposeTo analyze the alterations at the level of the inner retina in patients affected by Stargardt disease (STGD1).MethodsCross-sectional investigation involving STGD1 patients with genetically confirmed diagnosis, who underwent optical coherence tomography (OCT), optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA), and microperimetry.ResultsOverall, 31 patients (62 eyes) with genetically confirmed STGD1 were included in the study. Mean inner retinal thickness, vessel density of plexa, and retinal sensitivity resulted significantly reduced in STGD patients, compared with healthy controls ( p < 0.05), both in the outer and in the inner ETDRS rings. Overall, 43% of eyes revealed an inner retinal thinning, whereas 21% and 35% showed a thicker or within normal range inner retina.ConclusionsInner retina is irregularly altered in STGD1, showing variable quantitative alterations as detected on OCT. Inner retinal status might represent a useful biomarker to better characterize STGD1 and to ascertain the effects of new treatment approaches.
Recent developments in maculopathy Francesco Bandello, Marco Battista, Maria Brambati, Vincenzo Starace, Alessandro Arrigo, et al. Current Concepts in Ophthalmology, 2019
Diabetic Macular Edema Francesco Bandello, Rosangela Lattanzio, Ilaria Zucchiatti, Alessandro Arrigo, Marco Battista, et al. Clinical Strategies in the Management of Diabetic Retinopathy A Step by Step Guide for Ophthalmologists Second Edition, 2018
