Atypical macular hole formation after Anti-VEGF therapy for neovascular age-related macular degeneration: Coincidence or consequence?

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the primary cause of blindness in developed countries, particularly in older adults. Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) intravitreal injection is the current standard treatment for neovascular form of AMD. Studies reporting macular hole (MH) formation following anti-VEGF treatment are limited, and the exact pathogenesis is still under discussion. With the present study, we aim to analyse the clinical features of eyes developing MH after anti-VEGF therapy for neovascular AMD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients were treated with intravitreal anti-VEGF agents for at least one year and stable for at least six months. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and optical coherence tomography findings were evaluated. RESULTS: Nineteen eyes of 18 patients were included in this study. Patients had an average age of 77.7 years at first visit and eight were female. The average number of injections before the MH formation was four. MH developed after a mean follow-up of 5.1 months after the last injection. Sixteen eyes had (84.2%) had choroidal neovascular membrane without any abnormal vitreomacular traction. Eleven eyes (57.8%) had retinal pigment epithelium detachment (PED), two (10.5%) had an epiretinal membrane (ERM), and one (5.2%) had retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) tear. The mean first and last BCVA was 1.07±0.48 LogMAR (0.3-1.8) and 1.16±0.38 logMAR (0.4-1.8), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: A macular hole can be observed in AMD patients receiving anti-VEGF therapy. Increased fibrovascular scar tissue due to subretinal fluid resolution, neovascular membrane contraction, and the presence of PED, RPE tear, and ERM may contribute to MH formation.

Pattern of oculomotor and visual function in children with hydrocephalus.

PURPOSE: To investigate the ocular motility disturbances, optic nerve changes, and refractive errors in children with or without surgically treated hydrocephalus. METHODS: This retrospective study included 63 subjects diagnosed with hydrocephalus between 2007 and 2019 at the Baskent University Hospital. Full orthoptic and ophthalmic examination and brain magnetic resonance imaging were performed in all subjects. RESULTS: The mean age of patients was 68.4±27.6 months, and the mean follow-up time was 21.3±5.2 months. Twenty-one (51.2%) patients had esotropia (ET), and 14 (34.1%) had exotropia (XT). Of the patients with ET, 9 (14.2%) had a sixth nerve palsy. Four patients (6.3%) had a fourth nerve palsy, and 1 had a superior rectus palsy. Eleven patients had manifest, and 2 latent, nystagmus. Thirteen (20.6%) patients had optic disc abnormalities. The mean BCVA was 0.4±0.2 (0.05-1.0) in the right eye and 0.5±0.2 (0.1-1.0) in the left eye. Of the 19 (30.1%) patients who had a significant refractive error, 9 (47.3%) had hyperopia. Thirty-six (57.1%) patients had ventriculoperitoneal shunt surgery, and 11 (30.5%) of them had shunt revision due to occlusion. Ocular motility disorders were found to be significantly more common in patients who underwent single shunt surgery and shunt revision than those who had no surgical procedure (P=0.041and P=0.032, respectively). CONCLUSION: The evaluation of ocular motility disorders and visual dysfunction in hydrocephalic children can be a source of valuable information when diagnosing and following the disease.