Tilted disc in eyes with fovea plana.

PURPOSE: To report the association of tilted disc (TD) with fovea plana. METHODS: Monocentric retrospective study of consecutive eyes diagnosed with fovea plana, assessed by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. Analysis of the medical charts and imaging findings of patients to collect demographics, the visual acuity, and the clinical context. The presence of associated conditions was checked by two independent readers in order to classify fovea plana as isolated or part of other conditions. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients, 9 men and 12 women, aged 12 to 91 years, were included. Fovea plana was isolated and asymptomatic in 10 (47.6%) patients. In 6 (28.5%) patients, fovea plana was associated with ocular albinism and/or nystagmus. In 6 (28.5%) patients, fovea plana was associated with an obliquity of the optic disc typical of TD, isolated (5 cases), or associated with nystagmus (1 case). CONCLUSION: An association between TD and fovea plana had been reported only once in the literature and had been considered likely coincidental. However, this association could be more common than initially reported and suggests a common pathological process in eye development during embryogenesis.

LONG-TERM PROGNOSIS OF CHOROIDAL NEOVASCULARIZATION COMPLICATING ANGIOID STREAKS.

PURPOSE: To report the very long-term visual prognosis of choroidal neovascularization complicating angioid streaks in the antivascular endothelial growth factor era. METHODS: Retrospective monocentric study aimed at analyzing patients' demographics, choroidal neovascularization features, angioid streak-associated conditions, and previous and current therapies for choroidal neovascularization. The main outcome measures were the quantitative measurement of central retinal pigment epithelial atrophy enlargement by comparing the ratio of pixels involved on automated infrared images acquired by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography and the changes in best-corrected visual acuity. The secondary outcome measures were the number of intravitreal injections and the changes in central choroidal thickness and central retinal thickness. Subgroup analyzes were performed to compare macular atrophy extent between eyes of patients with or without proven pseudoxanthoma elasticum ("PXE" or "no PXE") and between eyes previously treated or not with photodynamic therapy ("PDT" or "no PDT"). RESULTS: Thirty-three eyes of 23 patients were included. The mean best-corrected visual acuity decreased significantly from 66 ± 19 Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study letters at the time of the first antivascular endothelial growth factor injection to 52 ± 23 Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study letters at the end of the follow-up (mean follow-up duration: 109 ± 42 months, range: 47-175 months). The ratio of central retinal pigment epithelial atrophy enlargement was 201%, 110%, 240%, and 111% in the PXE, no PXE, PDT, and no PDT groups, respectively. CONCLUSION: Despite the use of antivascular endothelial growth factor agents, the very long-term prognosis appeared relatively poor, especially in patients with PXE. This study also suggests that PDT should be used with caution in the management of choroidal neovascularization in eyes with angioid streaks.

Optical coherence tomography angiography quantification of choriocapillaris blood-flow after half-fluence photodynamic therapy for chronic central serous chorioretinopathy.

PURPOSE: To quantitatively analyze characteristics of choriocapillaris flow using spectral domain optical coherence tomography angiography (SD-OCTA) in eyes with chronic central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) before and after treatment by photodynamic therapy (PDT). METHODS: Retrospective interventional study. Macular 3X3 SD-OCT scans were analyzed in eyes diagnosed with chronic CSC before and after treatment with half-fluence PDT. The choriocapillaris en face slabs were extracted from the SD-OCTA device after manual segmentation. En face choriocapillaris flow images were compensated with en face choriocapillaris structure images. Phansalkar local thresholding method was then used with a radius of 4 and 8 pixels. Percentage of flow deficits (FD%), number, size, and total area of FDs were computed for comparison, before and after treatment by half-fluence PDT. RESULTS: Mean choriocapillaris FD% before PDT was of 58.36 + / - 11.88 and of 60.82 + / - 11.08 after PDT using radius 4 pixels with no significant difference (p = 0.140). Mean choriocapillaris FD% was of 58.63 + / - 11.08 before PDT and of 60.87 + / - 10.36 after PDT using radius 8 pixels with no significant difference (p = 0.200). Similarly, no significative difference was found in number, size, and total area of FDs, before and after half-fluence PDT, using radius 4 and 8 pixels in patients with chronic CSC. CONCLUSION: Using Phansalkar local thresholding method, quantitative analysis of choriocapillaris with SD-OCTA found no significant change in choriocapillaris flow deficits before and after successful half-fluence PDT in patients with chronic CSC. Therefore, it seems that half-fluence PDT may not alter choriocapillaris perfusion, at least on a relative short-term basis.

INTRARETINAL HYPERREFLECTIVE LINES.

PURPOSE: To report intraretinal hyperreflective lines related to various macular conditions. METHODS: All cases were imaged with color photographs, autofluorescence images, and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography, some with fluorescein and/or indocyanine green angiography. Demographic data, imaging, course and outcome were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: Forty-nine eyes of 43 patients (16 men and 27 women) were included. Hyperreflective vertical lines (38 eyes) or curvilinear lines along the Henle fiber layer (11 eyes) were present in association with various macular conditions: adult vitelliform dystrophy or pattern dystrophy (24 eyes) frequently associated with an epiretinal membrane (six eyes) and/or thick choroid (nine eyes), age-related maculopathy or macular degeneration (nine eyes), partial resorption of subretinal or intraretinal hemorrhages (five eyes), idiopathic macular microhole (two eyes), vitreomacular traction (three eyes), multiple evanescent white dot syndrome (three eyes), fundus flavimaculatus (two eyes), and pachychoroid pigment epitheliopathy (one eye). The lines fully vanished in cases of hemorrhages, multiple evanescent white dot syndrome or resolution of vitreomacular traction, but usually persisted with gradual thinning in the other conditions. CONCLUSION: The present series showed that intraretinal hyperreflective lines could occur in various inflammatory, degenerative, or tractional conditions. They could reflect a previously unrecognized reaction to various photoreceptor, Müller cell, and/or retinal pigment epithelium damage.

Consensus Nomenclature for Reporting Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration Data: Consensus on Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration Nomenclature Study Group.

PURPOSE: To establish a process to evaluate and standardize a state-of-the-art nomenclature for reporting neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) data. DESIGN: Consensus meeting. PARTICIPANTS: An international panel of retina specialists, imaging and image reading center experts, and ocular pathologists. METHODS: During several meetings organized under the auspices of the Macula Society, an international study group discussed and codified a set nomenclature framework for classifying the subtypes of neovascular AMD and associated lesion components. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A consensus classification of neovascular AMD. RESULTS: The study group created a standardized working definition of AMD. The components of neovascular AMD were defined and subclassified. Disease consequences of macular neovascularization were delineated. CONCLUSIONS: The framework of a consensus nomenclature system, a definition of AMD, and a delineation of the subtypes of neovascular AMD were developed. Establishing a uniform set of definitions will facilitate comparison of diverse patient groups and different studies. The framework presented is modified and updated readily, processes that are anticipated to occur on a periodic basis. The study group suggests that the consensus standards outlined in this article be used in future reported studies of neovascular AMD and clinical practice.

Impact of optical coherence tomography angiography on the non-invasive diagnosis of neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

PURPOSE: To investigate the changes in imaging tool practice for the diagnosis of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). METHODS: Retrospective analysis of consecutive patients diagnosed with nAMD in a tertiary care center, over a 6-month period in 2014, 2016, and 2018. Patient demographics were compared. Imaging modalities used in 2014 were fundus photography, fluorescein angiography (FA), and structural spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), while OCT-angiography (OCT-A) was available from 2015. Imaging tools used in our practice were compared in the 3 cohorts. RESULTS: The 3 cohorts included 163, 99, and 167 patients, respectively. There was no difference in age or gender (mean age 81.7 years). OCT-A images were analyzable in 60.5% and 89.7% of patients respectively in 2016 and in 2018. In the 3 cohorts, all patients were imaged with fundus photography and structural OCT. FA was performed in 70.2, 28.8, and 22.1% of patients, respectively. CONCLUSION: This study showed a shift in practice of imaging tools used for the diagnosis of nAMD, non-invasive tools being increasingly used as the first-line imaging, and FA as the second-line imaging.

INSIGHTS INTO PERIFOVEAL EXUDATIVE VASCULAR ANOMALOUS COMPLEX.

PURPOSE: To report a series of eight patients with perifoveal exudative vascular anomalous complex imaged with optical coherence tomography angiography and the results of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy or laser photocoagulation. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of demographic data, imaging including color pictures, spectral domain optical coherence tomography, and optical coherence tomography angiography, and fluorescein angiography, course, and outcome. RESULTS: Age at onset ranged from 45 to 84 years (mean ± SD: 68.6 ± 13.7). Five cases were initially misdiagnosed. The perifoveal exudative vascular anomalous complex lesion was unique in seven eyes and located predominantly in the superficial capillary plexus in two eyes, strictly in the deep capillary plexus in two eyes, but observed at the level of both plexi (3 eyes). One patient presented two lesions, one in the superficial capillary plexus and one in the deep capillary plexus. Capillary rarefaction was observed around the lesion in six eyes. Sustainable resolution of exudation could be achieved in 2 patients, one after 2 sessions of focal thermal laser photocoagulation and one after 13 intravitreal injections of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor. CONCLUSION: The present series confirms that perifoveal exudative vascular anomalous complex corresponds to a new entity that differs from other conditions associated with capillary aneurysmal lesions. Visual improvement could be obtained after treatment with focal laser or intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor agents.

Vascular remodeling of choroidal neovascularization in older myopic patients treated with ranibizumab.

PURPOSE: To investigate morphological changes in myopic choroidal neovascularization (mCNV) using optical coherence tomography-angiography (OCT-A) after treatment with ranibizumab. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of consecutive patients over a 24-month period. All treatment-naïve mCNV were imaged at baseline with color pictures, spectral-domain OCT and OCT-A, and fluorescein angiography in selected cases. CNV morphology was classified at baseline and at 6 months. The CNV lesion surface was also compared. RESULTS: Twenty-nine patients with a mean age of 70.3 ± 10.1 years were included. They received a mean number of 2.65 injections over 6 months. Best-corrected visual acuity improved from 62.2 to 68.5 letters (p = 0.004), with regression of exudation in 24 eyes (82.7%). Baseline CNV was classified into tree-in-bud (16 eyes), medusa (9 eyes), or sea-fan (4 eyes) pattern. At 6 months, no abnormal blood flow was observed in CNV in 13 eyes. Eyes with complete regression or evolution towards an indistinct pattern showed more often a complete regression of exudation than eyes with unchanged pattern (p = 0.007). The mean CNV surface significantly decreased from 0.19 to 0.08 mm2 (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: An unchanged pattern was more often associated with exudation persistence, while a complete regression or evolution towards indistinct pattern was always associated with vascular inactivity. However, variable changes in mCNV were observed after anti-VEGF. Thus, OCT-A could be more useful in the diagnosis than in the follow-up of mCNV.

SENSITIVITY OF 840-nm SPECTRAL DOMAIN OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY ANGIOGRAPHY IN DETECTING TYPE 1 NEOVASCULARIZATION ACCORDING TO THE HEIGHT OF THE ASSOCIATED PIGMENT EPITHELIAL DETACHMENT.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the ability of optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) to detect abnormal vascular blood flow in Type 1 neovascularization (NV) with or without significant pigment epithelial detachment (PED). METHODS: Consecutive age-related macular degeneration patients with either treatment-naive or anti-vascular endothelial growth factor-treated Type 1 NV were divided into 2 groups based on the PED height on structural OCT: greater than 250 µm (Group 1) versus less than 250 µm (Group 2). Two independent senior retina specialists analyzed the OCTA images (Zeiss Angioplex OCT, Carl Zeiss AG, Jena, Germany) using the automatic slabs alone (first reader) versus automatic and manual segmentation slabs (second reader). RESULTS: In Group 1, 15 men and 42 women, aged from 51 years to 97 years (mean: 87.5), were included. Optical coherence tomography angiography was able to show an abnormal blood flow suggestive of Type 1 NV in 23 (40.3%) of 57 eyes for the first reader and in 32 (56.1%) of 57 eyes for the second reader. In Group 2, 7 men and 30 women, aged from 60 years to 96 years (mean: 80.2), were included. The first and second readers were able to observe an image suggestive of Type 1 NV in 33/37 (89.2%) and 37/37 (100%) of eyes, respectively. CONCLUSION: The ability of OCTA to detect an abnormal blood flow in Type 1 NV was found to highly depend on the height of the associated PED and the use of manual segmentation slabs. Our results suggest that automatic slabs of OCTA should be interpreted with caution for the diagnosis of vascularized PED. The diagnosis of Type 1 NV using OCTA requires the use of manual segmentation and a multimodal imaging approach, especially when the height of the associated PED is >250 µm.

VASCULAR REMODELING OF CHOROIDAL NEOVASCULARIZATION AFTER ANTI-VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL GROWTH FACTOR THERAPY VISUALIZED ON OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY ANGIOGRAPHY.

PURPOSE: To describe the qualitative and quantitative changes in choroidal neovascularization (CNV) flow pattern after anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy, by optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). METHODS: Consecutive patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration underwent multimodal imaging, including OCTA at initial examination and at last visit. High-flow networks in the choriocapillaris segmentation of OCTA were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed at baseline and at follow-up, to characterize vascular flow changes after anti-vascular endothelial growth factor treatment and to correlate these changes with final exudation signs on spectral domain optical coherence tomography. RESULTS: Seventeen eyes were included. Mean follow-up was of 11.7 ± 3.3 months. Baseline images showed six medusa pattern (35.3%), four seafan pattern (23.5%), and seven indistinct network patterns (41.2%). Mean CNV area at baseline was 1.58 ± 1.72 mm. Final OCTA images revealed a decrease in CNV total area of 21.6%. In 6/17 eyes, the baseline neovascular pattern was unchanged; these cases were associated with exudation at the final spectral domain optical coherence tomography examination (P = 0.034) and a decrease in CNV area of 34.1%. Conversely, in 11/17 eyes (64.7%), the initial pattern had changed to a pruned vascular tree pattern, with variable exudative status on spectral domain optical coherence tomography at the final visit and a decrease in total CNV area of 0.07%. CONCLUSION: The vascular flow remodeling induced by recurrent anti-vascular endothelial growth factor treatment can be assessed by OCTA. Optical coherence tomography angiography may help to accurately evaluate treatment response and to recognize patterns usually associated with recurrent exudative activity.

OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY ANGIOGRAPHY TO DISTINGUISH CHOROIDAL NEOVASCULARIZATION FROM MACULAR INFLAMMATORY LESIONS IN MULTIFOCAL CHOROIDITIS.

PURPOSE: To characterize the macular lesions in multifocal choroiditis using multimodal imaging (MMI) and to evaluate optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) in distinguishing neovascular from inflammatory lesions. METHODS: Retrospective review of medical records of consecutive patients diagnosed with multifocal choroiditis and macular involvement, between September 2014 and May 2016, were included. All patients underwent standard examination and MMI, including fundus color photography, fundus autofluorescence, fluorescein angiography, and spectral domain optical coherence tomography. They also underwent OCTA examination. Multimodal imaging and OCTA characteristics of inflammatory lesions and choroidal neovascularization (CNV) were compared. RESULTS: Eighteen eyes of 13 patients (11 females) were analyzed. The mean age was 42.9 ± 13.4 years. The lesions were first categorized as active or inactive CNV and active or inactive inflammatory lesions through conventional MMI. Using OCTA, an abnormal blood flow was observed in all active CNV (9/9) and most inactive CNV (5/6), but also in 2 of 14 lesions previously classified as active inflammatory lesions. On the contrary, no case of inactive inflammatory lesions showed abnormal blood flow. Therefore, the use of OCTA allowed a diagnosis of CNV that was not made through conventional MMI in 14% of cases of active inflammatory lesions. CONCLUSION: The combined findings of conventional imaging and OCTA demonstrate distinctive features of inflammatory lesions and CNV in multifocal choroiditis, allowing an appropriate management of these sight-threatening lesions. However, OCTA alone did not distinguish between active and inactive CNVs and should be integrated into an MMI approach.

Ranibizumab for vascularized pigment epithelial detachment: 1-year anatomic and functional results.

PURPOSE: To assess the anatomical and functional efficacy of ranibizumab on vascularized pigment epithelial detachment (V-PED) secondary to neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). METHODS: One hundred and nine patients (116 eyes) were retrospectively selected from medical records of 2097 patients who benefited from intravitreal injection between January 2011 and June 2013 in a tertiary-care University-based Department of Ophthalmology. Inclusion criteria were: nAMD, treatment-naive eyes, presence of V-PED higher than 250 µm, intravitreal ranibizumab with a loading phase, followed by a pro-re-nata regimen, and 1-year follow-up. Baseline characteristics and type of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) were analyzed. PED height, central macular thickness (CMT) and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA, logMAR) were measured at baseline, months 3, 6 and 12. RESULTS: CNV was of type 1 in 91 eyes (78.4 %), type 2 in seven (6 %), type 3 in six (5.2 %), and polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy in 12 (10.3 %). Mean CMT at baseline was 572.1 µm and decreased to 396.6 µm (p < 0.0001) at 12 months. Mean height of PED was 458.2 µm at baseline and 306.8 µm (p < 0.0001) at 12 months. Mean BCVA improved from 0.46 at baseline to 0.39 at 12 months (p = 0.013). CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with ranibizumab improved visual and anatomical outcome in nAMD patients with V-PED.

CHORIORETINAL WHITE DOT LESIONS IN EYES WITH MULTIFOCAL CHOROIDITIS AND TILTED DISK SYNDROME WITH INFERIOR STAPHYLOMA.

PURPOSE: To assess the influence of tilted disk syndrome (TDS) and inferior staphyloma on the macular clinical expression of MFC. METHODS: Medical charts of patients with MFC examined since 2009 were reviewed retrospectively. All patients underwent standard examination and multimodal imaging including fundus color photography, fundus autofluorescence, and spectral domain optical coherence tomography. Two groups of patients were compared : Group 1 with TDS and inferior staphyloma and Group 2 without. The number of MFC spots were counted and normalized to the surface area in a circle centered about the fovea. In Group 1, the number of lesions inside the staphyloma was compared with that outside the staphyloma. RESULTS: At baseline, 8 eyes in Group 1 had a mean (±SD) higher number of chorioretinal lesions outside the staphyloma (14.5 [±7.2]) than within the staphyloma (5 [±5.5]) (P = 0.017). All 11 eyes in Group 2 had chorioretinal lesions homogeneously distributed in the posterior pole. Eyes with TDS and inferior staphyloma developed choroidal neovascularization more frequently (6/8 eyes) than eyes without TDS (5/11 eyes) (P = 0.026). CONCLUSION: Inferior staphyloma associated with TDS could modulate the clinical expression of the inflammatory and neovascular process in eyes with MFC.

RETICULAR PSEUDODRUSEN ARE NOT A PREDICTIVE FACTOR FOR THE 1-YEAR RESPONSE TO INTRAVITREAL RANIBIZUMAB IN NEOVASCULAR AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION.

PURPOSE: To investigate reticular pseudodrusen (RPD) as a potential baseline factor predictive of a poor 1-year response to intravitreal ranibizumab in eyes with neovascular age-related macular degeneration. METHODS: Retrospective, monocentric case series including 98 consecutive naive neovascular age-related macular degeneration patients. Presence of RPD was assessed by two graders based on color, blue-light, fundus autofluorescence pictures, and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography. A correlation between the presence of RPD and the visual change was investigated. Other baseline characteristics studied in a monovariate and multivariate analysis were the following: age, gender, affected side, loading dose, type of neovascularization, presence of retinal pigment epithelial detachment >250 µm, subretinal or intraretinal fluid, blood over >50% of the lesion, and subfoveal choroidal thickness. RESULTS: The presence of RPD was not associated with a visual change (P = 0.96), but with a thin subfoveal choroidal thickness at baseline (P < 0.0001). The monovariate analysis showed that the presence of blood at baseline was associated with visual gain (P = 0.007). CONCLUSION: The presence of RPD at baseline was not identified as a factor associated with a poor 1-year response to ranibizumab in eyes with neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Studies with a longer follow-up may be needed to assess the impact of RPD on the visual prognosis of eyes with neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

FOVEAL EXUDATE AND CHOROIDAL NEOVASCULARIZATION IN ATYPICAL CASES OF MULTIPLE EVANESCENT WHITE DOT SYNDROME.

PURPOSE: To describe atypical cases of multiple evanescent white dot syndrome (MEWDS) associated with foveal exudation, increased choroidal thickness, and secondary Type 2 (subretinal) neovascularization. METHODS: Four cases of atypical MEWDS were studied at a retina referral center. Patients underwent evaluation with multimodal retinal imaging, including fluorescein angiography, indocyanine green angiography, spectral-domain and enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (OCT). Two patients were imaged with OCT angiography. RESULTS: Four patients (3 female, 1 male) with a median age of 23.5 years presented with acute onset, painless, decreased central vision. All cases demonstrated fundus findings consistent with MEWDS on color photography, indocyanine green angiography, fluorescein angiography, fundus autofluorescence, and structural OCT imaging. On structural OCT, all 4 patients were noted to have hyperreflective subretinal material and increased subfoveal choroidal thickness ranging from 307 µm to 515 µm. Type 2 neovascularization was diagnosed in all four patients using fluorescein angiography, indocyanine green angiography, and/or OCT angiography. Two patients had poor visual acuity at the last follow-up despite resolution of characteristic clinical findings of MEWDS. CONCLUSION: A subset of patients with atypical MEWDS may develop persistent poor vision due to subfoveal exudation and secondary Type 2 neovascularization. Patients showing increased choroidal thickness at presentation may be more susceptible to this unusual presentation.

Short-term results of switchback from aflibercept to ranibizumab in neovascular age-related macular degeneration in clinical practice.

PURPOSE: This work was undertaken to analyze the efficacy of switchback from aflibercept to ranibizumab in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) who had previously switched from ranibizumab to aflibercept. METHODS: This retrospective double-center study included 45 patients with nAMD who were previously treated with ranibizumab, then aflibercept, and then ranibizumab again, regardless of the number of intravitreal injections received. The primary outcome was change in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) measured on the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study ETDRS chart before (T0) and after (T1) the switch, and 3 months after the switchback (T2). Secondary outcomes included changes in central foveal thickness (CFT) measured at T0, T1, and T2, as analyzed on spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), and the percentage of patients gaining five letters or better. RESULTS: Forty-seven eyes of 45 patients were switched back from aflibercept to ranibizumab. The mean BCVA was 67.4 ± 13.4 at T0, 66.7 ± 14.4 at T1, and 68.2 ± 13.9 at T2. BCVA was significantly improved between T1 and T2 (p = 0.0230), but not between T0 and T1 (p = 0.5153) or between T0 and T2 (p = 0.4248). The mean CFT decreased from 317.8 µm ± 89.6 at T0 to 306.9 µm ±68.0 at T1, and to 291.2 µm ± 76.6 at T2. The decrease in CFT was not statistically significant between either T0 and T1 or T1 and T2, but was significant between T0 and T2, when compared before switch and after switchback (p = 0.0027). However, when considering eyes that received three or more consecutive intravitreal injections of aflibercept before switchback, the statistical significance between T1 and T2 was lost, although a trend towards significance remained (p = 0.06). Thirteen eyes (27.7 %) gained five letters or more (range, 5-15 letters) after switchback. CONCLUSIONS: A short-term benefit of switchback from one anti-VEGF agent to another was observed in patients with nAMD who had shown no benefit from the initial switch.

CHOROIDAL THICKENING IN PATIENTS WITH CUTICULAR DRUSEN COMBINED WITH VITELLIFORM MACULAR DETACHMENT.

PURPOSE: To analyze the subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) in patients with cuticular drusen. METHODS: Retrospective, monocentric, study of consecutive patients examined with enhanced depth imaging spectral domain optical coherence tomography (EDI SD-OCT, Cirrus, Zeiss) between 2009 and 2014 in a tertiary care center. Measurements of the height of the subfoveal vitelliform detachment and SFCT were manually performed. RESULTS: Thirteen patients, 3 men and 10 women, aged from 35 to 73 (mean: 53.6 years) were selected. For the 24 eyes without macular atrophy at first visit, SFCT ranged from 195 to 559 µm (mean ± SD = 317.5 ± 93). The SFCT was significantly thicker in 12 eyes with vitelliform macular detachment at presentation (369 ± 96, median = 368.5) than in 12 eyes without (266 ± 58, median = 257.5) (P = 0.007), whereas the 2 groups did not differ in age (P = 0.35) or refractive error (P = 0.56). No correlation was observed between SFCT and the height of the foveal detachment. For 10 eyes followed up longer than 24 months (mean: 38.9 months), the SFCT significantly decreased over time, from 375 ± 96 (median = 368.5) to 303 ± 138 (median = 319) µm (P = 0.022). CONCLUSION: Eyes with cuticular drusen combined with vitelliform macular detachment present with choroidal thickening, suggesting that the choroidal vasculature may play a role in the occurrence of macular detachments in patients with cuticular drusen. The life cycle of these vitelliform lesions evolves from translucent subretinal fluid to the accumulation of yellowish material eventually resolving and leading to atrophy with marked and rapid thinning of the choroid.