Intravitreal bevacizumab versus photodynamic therapy for myopic choroidal neovascularization in a North-African population.

PURPOSE: To compare the 1-year functional and anatomical outcomes of intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) in patients with myopic choroidal neovascularization (CNV). METHODS: Review of retrospectively collected data of 80 eyes in 80 patients with myopic CNV treated with standard PDT (n = 40) or IVB (1.25 mg/ 0.05 ml) (n = 40). Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central retinal thickness (CRT) measured with optical coherence tomography (OCT) were compared between the two groups at baseline, 3, 6 and 12 months. RESULTS: In the IVB group, mean BCVA was +0.9 ± 0.85 logMAR at baseline. Mean BCVA was significantly better at 3 and 6 months than baseline (p = .0095 and p = .008, respectively) but not at 12 months (p = .065). In the PDT group, mean BCVA was +0.88 ± 0.45 logMAR at baseline, and improved to +0.85 ± 0.62 logMAR at 3 months and to +0.86 ± 0.44 logMAR at 6 months, which was not significantly different from baseline. Mean BCVA then decreased to +0.9 ± 0.54 logMAR at 12 months (p = .85). Mean logMAR VA was significantly better in the IVB group than in the PDT group after 3 months (p = .0043), 6 months (p = .0001) and 12 months (p = .0168). Mean CRT was significantly lower in IVB group than in PDT group at 3, 6 and 12 months (p = .008, p = .038, p = .040, respectively). Chorioretinal atrophy developed in six eyes (15%) treated with IVB and in 24 eyes (60%) treated with PDT at 12 months (p = 3.2 × 10(-5)). CONCLUSIONS: Over a 12-month period, intravitreal bevacizumab seems to be superior to photodynamic therapy in controlling myopic CNV in a North-African population.