Fundus — Wet AMD with Choroidal Neovascularization + Subretinal Fluid

A 68-year-old Indian male smoker with a 10-year history of dry AMD presents with sudden onset of metamorphopsia and central visual blurring in his right eye over the past 2 weeks. On dilated fundus examination, the macula shows scattered drusen, intraretinal hemorrhages, and lipid exudates. OCT reveals intraretinal and subretinal fluid with a hyperreflective lesion breaking through Bruch membrane. The structure marked **D** in the diagram—the grayish-green subretinal CNV membrane with associated fluid—is the defining lesion of neovascular AMD. Which of the following statements best reflects the clinical significance of this lesion in the context of AMD-related vision loss?