Intravitreal bevacizumab for choroidal neovascularization due to pathologic myopia: long-term outcomes.

PURPOSE: To report the long-term results of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy for choroidal neovascularization (CNV) secondary to pathological myopia (PM). METHODS: Prospective interventional study with extension phase. Eyes affected by CNV due to PM included. All patients received an intravitreal bevacizumab injection (1.25 mg/0.05 ml) at baseline. Re-treatment was considered at each follow-up visit. RESULTS: The study included 101 consecutive eyes of 86 patients. All patients reached 24 months of follow-up. After 24 months, mean best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) improvement was -0.13 (95 % CI: -0.2; -0.05) logMAR (p < 0.001) and central retinal thickness (CRT) decreased on average by 67 (95 % CI: 27; 102) µm (p < 0.01). The chorioretinal atrophy (CRA) area increased significantly after 2 years of follow-up (+7.82 mm(2), p < 0.0001). Patients received 4.1 treatments, on average. Thirty-two eyes were included in the extension phase (from 24 to 60 months of follow-up). Visual acuity improved on average by -0.05 (95 % CI: -0.2; 0.1) logMAR (p > 0.05) compared to baseline. Mean reduction in CRT was 102 (95 % CI: 64;141) µm (p < 0.01). The CRA area enlarged significantly after 5 years of follow-up (+14.15 mm(2), p < 0.0001). Patients received a mean of 6.7 treatments in 60 months. CONCLUSIONS: An individualized regimen with intravitreal bevacizumab to treat CNV secondary to PM resulted in BCVA improvement and CRT decrease at 2 and 5 years. The main visual benefit was obtained between month 3 and month 24. A gradual loss of the initial BCVA gain was observed starting from month 30 to month 60 due to progression of CRA.

Early effects of dexamethasone implant on macular morphology and visual function in patients with macular edema secondary to retinal vein occlusion.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the early effects of the intravitreal erodible dexamethasone implant Ozurdex in patients with macular edema due to retinal vein occlusion (RVO). METHODS: Eyes with macular edema due to RVO were prospectively included in the study and received a 700-µg dexamethasone implant. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) measurement, complete ophthalmic evaluation and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography were performed at baseline and 1, 2, 3, 7, 14, 21, 28, 60, and 90 days after treatment. RESULTS: Nineteen eyes of 18 patients were included in the study. Mean central retinal thickness (CRT) decreased rapidly after treatment (p < 0.0001) from 503 µm at baseline to 288 µm after 1 day and 199 µm at the end of the follow-up. BCVA gained on average +6 ETDRS letters after 1 day and +11 letters at day 90 (p = 0.0001). CONCLUSION: The intravitreal dexamethasone implant showed a fast effect in reducing CRT and improving BCVA in RVO patients.

Effects of VEGF inhibition on retinal morphology, neovascular network size, and visual acuity in patients with vascularized pigment epithelium detachment because of occult choroidal neovascularization.

PURPOSE: To report the results of vascular endothelial growth factor inhibition for vascularized pigment epithelium detachment associated with choroidal neovascularization secondary to age-related macular degeneration. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of patients affected by vascularized pigment epithelium detachment treated with intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (0.5 mg of ranibizumab or 1 mg of bevacizumab) and a follow-up of 12 months. Retinal angiomatous proliferations were excluded. Treatment was conducted with an initial loading phase followed by a pro re nata phase. Fluorescein angiography and indocyanine green angiography were performed at baseline and every 3 months. RESULTS: Forty eyes were included in this study. After a follow-up of 12 months and 5.5 treatments on average, best-corrected visual acuity did not vary significantly. Central retinal thickness and pigment epithelium detachment height were significantly reduced, whereas the choroidal neovascularization area remained constant. CONCLUSION: In vascularized pigment epithelium detachment, anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy shows visual stabilization but not best-corrected visual acuity gain. However, it is associated with significant morphologic improvements, and it may offer a benefit over the natural course of the disease.

Lens-sparing vitrectomy for stage 4A retinopathy of prematurity in infants with aggressive-posterior ROP: Anatomic and functional results.

AIM: To assess long-term anatomic and functional outcomes of early lens-sparing vitrectomy (LSV) for stage 4A retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) in infants with aggressive-posterior ROP (AP-ROP) which progressed to retinal detachment despite laser treatment. METHODS: Chart review of infants who underwent early 25-gage LSV for stage 4A ROP. Outcomes were anatomic success, mean visual acuity (VA), development of postoperative complications, and refractive changes. Follow-up examinations were performed at 1, 3, 6, 12, and then every 6 months. RESULTS: Ten eyes of seven preterm infants who underwent LSV were included. Mean follow-up was 36 ± 13.4 months and mean postmenstrual age (PMA) at last follow-up was 37 ± 13.7 months. Mean gestational age (GA) and weight at birth was 26 ± 1.4 weeks and 639 ± 180 g. Two eyes had vitreous hemorrhage 4 and 14 days after surgery, respectively. At last follow-up anatomic success was 100%, mean VA was 20/80 and eight eyes (80%) had high myopic refractive correction (mean spherical equivalent -11.25 D). CONCLUSION: Early LSV for stage 4A ROP with AP-ROP and progression to retinal detachment is efficacious in terms of anatomic and functional outcomes. Anatomic success is associated with visual improvement despite possible myopic refraction changes during follow-up.

Predictive algorithms for early detection of retinopathy of prematurity.

PURPOSE: To evaluate sensitivity, specificity and the safest cut-offs of three predictive algorithms (WINROP, ROPScore and CHOP ROP) for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted in three centres from 2012 to 2014; 445 preterms with gestational age (GA) ≤ 30 weeks and/or birthweight (BW) ≤ 1500 g, and additional unstable cases, were included. No-ROP, mild and type 1 ROP were categorized. The algorithms were analysed for infants with all parameters (GA, BW, weight gain, oxygen therapy, blood transfusion) needed for calculation (399 babies). RESULTS: Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) was identified in both eyes in 116 patients (26.1%), and 44 (9.9%) had type 1 ROP. Gestational age and BW were significantly lower in ROP group compared with no-ROP subjects (GA: 26.7 ± 2.2 and 30.2 ± 1.9, respectively, p < 0.0001; BW: 839.8 ± 287.0 and 1288.1 ± 321.5 g, respectively, p = 0.0016). Customized alarms of ROPScore and CHOP ROP correctly identified all infants having any ROP or type 1 ROP. WINROP missed 19 cases of ROP, including three type 1 ROP. ROPScore and CHOP ROP provided the best performances with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the detection of severe ROP of 0.93 (95% CI, 0.90-0.96, and 95% CI, 0.89-0.96, respectively), and WINROP obtained 0.83 (95% CI, 0.77-0.87). Median time from alarm to treatment was 11.1, 5.1 and 9.1 weeks, for WINROP, ROPScore and CHOP ROP, respectively. CONCLUSION: ROPScore and CHOP ROP showed 100% sensitivity to identify sight-threatening ROP. Predictive algorithms are a reliable tool for early identification of infants requiring referral to an ophthalmologist, for reorganizing resources and reducing stressful procedures to preterm babies.