Two-year outcomes of intravitreal brolucizumab for neovascular age-related macular degeneration: treat, extend, and stop-protocol.

PURPOSE: To investigate the real-world 2-year treatment outcomes of intravitreal brolucizumab (IVBr) for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). METHODS: This multicenter, prospective, and interventional study included 53 eyes treated with brolucizumab from October 2020 to August 2021 at 3 institutions. A modified treat-and-extend (TAE) regimen with predefined discontinuation criteria was used. The mTAE regimen was discontinued if patients responded positively and achieved a treatment interval of 16 weeks twice with no sign of recurrence. The number of patients discontinuing TAE and the visual and anatomic changes at 1 and 2 years after the first IVBr were evaluated. RESULTS: Thirty-eight eyes from 38 patients (71%) completed the 2-year observation period and 7 eyes from 7 patients experienced intraocular inflammation (IOI). Of these 38 patients, 18 (47%) could discontinue the TAE at a median [interquartile range] of 13.1 [12.9-16.8] months after the first IVBr. Best-corrected visual acuity, central subfield retinal thickness, and central choroidal thickness were significantly improved compared with baseline at both 1 and 2 years after the first IVBr (all P < 0.001). An extension study revealed a 1-year recurrence rate of 5.6% (standard deviation, 5.4%) after TAE discontinuation. CONCLUSIONS: While IOI is a concern with brolucizumab, careful observation allows discontinuing the TAE regimen in patients treated with IVBr. Moreover, brolucizumab may reduce the risk of recurrence after treatment interruption. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: UMIN Clinical Trials Registry ( http://www.umin.ac.jp/ ; R000050688 UMIN 000044374).

An AI model to estimate visual acuity based solely on cross-sectional OCT imaging of various diseases.

PURPOSE: To develop an artificial intelligence (AI) model for estimating best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) using horizontal and vertical optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans of various retinal diseases and examine factors associated with its accuracy. METHODS: OCT images and associated BCVA measurements from 2,700 OCT images (accrued from 2004 to 2018 with an Atlantis, Triton; Topcon, Tokyo, Japan) of 756 eyes of 469 patients and their BCVA were retrospectively analysed. For each eye, one horizontal and one vertical OCT scan in cross-line mode were used. The GoogLeNet architecture was implemented. The coefficient of determination (R2), root mean square error (RMSE) and mean absolute error (MAE) were computed to evaluate the performance of the trained network. RESULTS: R2, RMSE, and MAE were 0.512, 0.350, and 0.321, respectively. R2 was higher in phakic eyes than in pseudophakic eyes. Multivariable regression analysis showed that a higher R2 was significantly associated with better BCVA (p < 0.001) and a higher standard deviation of BCVA (p < 0.001). However, the performance was worse in an external validation, with R2 of 0.19. R2 values for retinal vein occlusion and age-related macular degeneration were 0.961 and 0.373 in the internal validation but 0.20 and 0.22 in the external validation. CONCLUSION: Although underspecification appears to be a fundamental problem to be addressed in AI models for predicting visual acuity, the present results suggest that AI models might have potential for estimating BCVA from OCT in AMD and RVO. Further research is needed to improve the utility of BCVA estimation for these diseases.

Cytokine profiles of macular neovascularization in the elderly based on a classification from a pachychoroid/drusen perspective.

PURPOSE: To classify macular neovascularization (MNV) based on pachychoroid and drusen features and to examine the aqueous humor cytokine signatures of each group. METHODS: In total, 106 consecutive eyes with treatment-naïve MNV and 104 control eyes were examined. The aqueous humor concentrations of 15 cytokines were compared among the MNV groups classified based on the presence of drusen and/or pachychoroid features. Multidimensional scaling analysis was used to visualize the similarity level of the MNV subtypes according to their cytokine profiles. RESULTS: Thirty-one, 18, 43, and 10 eyes were classified into the pachychoroid-associated, drusen-associated, pachychoroid/drusen-associated, and non-drusen/non-pachychoroid MNV groups, respectively. Compared with the control group, cytokines were differently upregulated among the MNV groups. CRP and CXCL12 were significantly upregulated in all MNV groups, whereas CXCL13 and IL-8 were significantly upregulated in three MNV groups, excluding the non-pachychoroid/non-drusen-associated MNV group. Ang-2 was significantly upregulated in three MNV groups except the drusen-associated MNV group. PlGF was significantly upregulated in the pachychoroid-associated and drusen-associated MNV groups. CCL-2 was significantly upregulated in the pachychoroid-associated and pachychoroid/drusen-associated MNV groups. VEGF was downregulated in the pachychoroid-associated and drusen-associated MNV groups, respectively. Multidimensional scaling analysis showed a distinct cytokine profile for each MNV group. CONCLUSION: All MNV groups showed distinct cytokine profiles. Eyes with "neovascular age-related macular degeneration with drusen and concomitant pachychoroid" may share a similar etiology to those with "pachychoroid neovasculopathy" and "choroidal neovascularization with drusen," but have a distinct etiology to those without these. These findings suggest the importance of evaluating drusen and the choroid during the diagnosis of neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

Incidence and changing patterns of uveitis in Central Tokyo.

PURPOSE: The patterns of uveitis in Tokyo have recently changed due to advances in examination tools. We aimed to investigate the changes in the patterns of uveitis between 2004-2015 and 2016-2018. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the data of 732 patients who visited the Uveitis Clinic at the University of Tokyo Hospital between January 2016 and December 2018. Background characteristics, laboratory results, and imaging findings were analysed. We compared the incidences of uveitis in 2016-2018 and 2004-2015 to identify changes in the patterns. RESULTS: The most frequent diagnoses were sarcoidosis (8.9%), herpetic iridocyclitis (6.7%), intraocular lymphoma (5.5%), Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease (4.8%), unclassified acute anterior uveitis (4.6%), Behçet's disease (4.5%), bacterial endophthalmitis (2.9%), and Posner-Schlossman syndrome (2.6%). Suspected sarcoidosis (20.9%) was the most common cause of unclassified uveitis. The incidence of intraocular lymphoma was significantly higher in 2016-2018 than in 2004-2015. Between 2004 and 2018, herpetic iridocyclitis, bacterial endophthalmitis, and juvenile chronic iridocyclitis exhibited an increasing trend, and the incidences of Posner-Schlossman syndrome, unclassified acute anterior uveitis, Behçet's disease, and Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease exhibited a decreasing trend. CONCLUSION: The changing patterns of uveitis were characterised by increases in the incidence of intraocular lymphoma. This may be attributed to recent advances in examination tools, the changes in the referred patient population, and the aging Japanese population.

Clinical features of uveitis in elderly patients in central Tokyo (2013-2018).

PURPOSE: To clarify the clinical features of uveitis in elderly patients in central Tokyo. METHODS: We retrospectively identified 1424 patients with uveitis who visited the Uveitis Clinic of the University of Tokyo Hospital between January 2013 and December 2018. The patients were categorized into two groups based on their ages at the time of disease onset: patients aged 65 years or older were included in Group A, whereas those younger than 65 years were included in Group B. The etiological classification of uveitis and its causes were investigated for each group. RESULTS: Group A presented significantly higher rates of infectious uveitis (35.5% vs. 17.8%, p < 0.0001) and masquerade syndromes (17.9% vs. 5.0%, p < 0.0001) than Group B. Furthermore, Group A had significantly higher rates of sarcoidosis (23.1% vs. 9.3%, p < 0.0001), intraocular lymphoma (16.6% vs. 4.6%, p < 0.0001), cytomegalovirus iritis (11.0% vs. 5.6%, p = 0.0043), and cytomegalovirus retinitis (5.2% vs. 1.5%, p = 0.0020) than Group B. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate a clear difference in the causative diseases of uveitis between elderly and non-elderly patients. These findings may support ophthalmologists in their diagnostic process for elderly patients with uveitis.

Comparison of visual field defect progression in secondary Glaucoma due to anterior uveitis caused by three types of herpes viruses.

PURPOSE: To clarify the prevalence of secondary glaucoma (SG) and its speed of progression in patients with herpes simplex virus (HSV)-anterior uveitis (AU), varicella zoster virus (VZV)-AU, and cytomegalovirus (CMV)-AU. METHODS: In total, 170 patients with herpetic AU were enrolled in this retrospective observational case series. Patients with visual field (VF) defects and glaucomatous disc abnormalities were diagnosed with SG. Moreover, the speed of SG progression was defined as decreasing mean deviation (MD) values per year. SG prevalence and annual MD-value decrease were compared among the three types of herpetic AU. RESULTS: SG prevalence was 16%, 9%, and 72% in patients with HSV-AU, VZV-AU, and CMV-AU, respectively. Patients with CMV-AU had the highest SG prevalence (odds ratio = 3.15; 95% confidence interval = 1.15-8.65; P < 0.05). Furthermore, the annual MD-value change was significantly higher in SG caused by CMV-AU than in that caused by HSV/VZV-AU (-2.6 ± 2.4 dB/year and -0.45 ± 0.54 dB/year, respectively; P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrated that patients with CMV-AU may have a higher risk and faster speed of progression of SG than patients with HSV/VZV-AU. Therefore, clinicians should monitor glaucoma onset and VF-defect progression in patients with CMV-AU.

Epidemiology of uveitis (2013-2015) and changes in the patterns of uveitis (2004-2015) in the central Tokyo area: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: The distribution of uveitis varies with genetic, ethnic, geographic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. Epidemiological information about the patterns of uveitis is useful when an ophthalmologist considers the diagnosis of uveitis. Therefore, it is important to identify the causes of uveitis over the years in different regions. The purposes of this study were to characterize the uveitis patients who first arrived at the University of Tokyo Hospital in 2013-2015, and to analyze the changes in the patterns of uveitis from 2004 to 2012 to 2013-2015. METHODS: We retrospectively identified 750 newly arrived patients with uveitis who visited the Uveitis Clinic in the University of Tokyo Hospital between January 2013 and December 2015, using clinical records. We extracted data on patient age, sex, diagnosis, anatomic location of inflammation, laboratory test results of blood and urine, and chest X-ray and fluorescein fundus angiography findings for each patient. In addition, we compared these data with those from 2004 to 2012 to analyze the changes in the patterns of uveitis. RESULTS: A definite diagnosis was established in 445 patients (59.3%). The most common diagnoses were herpetic iridocyclitis (7.5%), sarcoidosis (6.1%), Behçet's disease (4.4%), Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease (4.1%), and intraocular lymphoma (4.1%). The most frequent unclassified type of uveitis was suspected sarcoidosis (22.3%). Analysis of the changes in the patterns of uveitis in the central Tokyo area from 2004 to 2012 to 2013-2015 revealed notable increasing trends of herpetic iridocyclitis and intraocular lymphoma, and increasing trends of bacterial endophthalmitis, fungal endophthalmitis, and juvenile chronic iridocyclitis. In contrast, the frequency of sarcoidosis, Behçet's disease, and Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease decreased. CONCLUSIONS: The patterns of uveitis changed considerably from 2004 to 2012 to 2013-2015. Continuous investigations about the epidemiology of uveitis are needed to diagnose uveitis more accurately.

Ocular Behçet's disease is less complicated with allergic disorders. A nationwide survey in Japan.

OBJECTIVES: Behçet's disease (BD) is a systemic inflammatory disorder polarised to the Th1 and Th17 immune systems. Allergic diseases are polarised to the Th2 immune system. The aim of the present study is to investigate the prevalence of allergic diseases in patients who have BD. METHODS: The study involved a large-scale interview survey of Japanese patients with BD at 21 institutes of ophthalmology; 353 patients (255 males and 98 females) were recruited for this study. We analysed the history of allergic diseases such as atopic dermatitis (AD), allergic rhinitis (AR), bronchial asthma (BA) and drug/food allergies (FA). RESULTS: Oral aphthous ulcers, ocular lesions, skin lesions, genital ulcers, arthritis, neurological lesions, intestinal lesions, deep vein thrombosis and epididymitis were reported in 95.8%, 98.6%, 72.5%, 44.8%, 13.9%, 6.8%, 6.2%, 3.7% and 1.4% of the patients, respectively. It was also reported that 73 patients (20.7%) had histories of allergic diseases: AD (5 cases, 1.4%), AR (36 cases, 10.2%), BA (19 cases, 5.4%) and FA (30 cases, 8.5%). This percentage was significantly lower than in a survey that Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare conducted for healthy population (47.6%) (odds ratio = 0.29, 95% confidence interval = 0.22-0.38, p=4.9×10-22). Frequencies of posterior/pan-uveitis, relatively severe ocular findings, and visual prognosis were not affected by a history of allergic diseases in BD. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with BD had fewer complications from allergic diseases than did the entire population of Japan.

Effect of posterior vitreous detachment on aqueous humor level of vascular endothelial growth factor in exudative age-related macular degeneration patients.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the association of posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) with aqueous levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in eyes with exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD). METHODS: This is a prospective comparative study. Subjects are 33 eyes with exudative AMD. PVD was examined by B-mode ultrasonography and the subjects were divided into a complete PVD group (PVD group) or a group with partial or no PVD (without PVD group). At the beginning of intravitreal injection of ranibizumab, aqueous humor was collected and the concentration of VEGF was measured using ELISA. The concentration was compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Complete PVD was observed in 13 (39 %) eyes. The mean concentration of VEGF was 58 pg/ml in the PVD group and 91 pg/ml in the without PVD group. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the concentration of VEGF was significantly lower in the eyes with PVD than in those without PVD independent of age and sex (P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Complete PVD is related to the lower concentration of aqueous VEDF in AMD eyes.

ASSOCIATION BETWEEN AQUEOUS HUMOR CXC MOTIF CHEMOKINE LIGAND 13 LEVELS AND SUBFOVEAL CHOROIDAL THICKNESS IN NORMAL OLDER SUBJECTS.

PURPOSE: To investigate the association of subfoveal choroidal thickness with intraocular inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. METHODS: The subjects consisted of 76 eyes of consecutive cataract patients at the Japan Community Health Care Organization Tokyo Shinjuku Medical Center between September 2010 and August 2012. In addition, two autopsy eyes from elderly males were used for immunohistochemical study. Subfoveal choroidal thickness was measured using spectral domain optical coherence tomography before cataract surgery. At the beginning of cataract surgery, a sample of undiluted aqueous humor was manually aspirated and the concentrations of the following cytokines were determined using a multiplex cytokine assay: IP-10, MCP-1, MMP-9, IL-6, IL-10, CXCL1, CXCL12, CXCL13, and CCL11. The association of subfoveal choroidal thickness with intraocular cytokine concentration was analyzed. Expression of CXCL13 was examined in autopsy eyes. RESULTS: Among these factors, higher concentration of CXCL13 was associated with thicker choroid. In particular, multiple regression analysis showed that the concentration of CXCL13 was associated with subfoveal choroidal thickness (P = 0.001), independently of axial length (P = 0.049). By immunostaining, CXCL13 was clearly detected in choroidal endothelial cells. CONCLUSION: Aqueous humor concentration of CXCL13 is correlated with subfoveal choroidal thickness in normal subjects.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VISUAL PROGNOSIS AND DELAY OF INTRAVITREAL INJECTION OF RANIBIZUMAB WHEN TREATING AGE-RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION.

BACKGROUND: In age-related macular degeneration, various factors in clinical practice cause delays to arise between the time exudative change is observed and the time anti-vascular endothelial growth factor drugs are actually injected. We investigated the influence of injection delay on prognosis. METHODS: Subjects were 50 eyes (50 patients from 2 hospitals) that were administered ranibizumab monotherapy for age-related macular degeneration for 1 year since exudative change was first observed. We investigated the mean number of delay days for each injection. RESULTS: Mean injection delay was between 0 and 104 days. Significant prognostic factors for visual acuity were initial best-corrected visual acuity (P < 0.01) and mean injection delay (P = 0.03). We estimated that for an initial best-corrected visual acuity of 0.40 logMAR unit (20/50 Snellen equivalent), the respective best-corrected visual acuity values after 1 year for mean injection delays of 0, 7, 14, 28, and 56 days would be 0.22 (20/33), 0.24 (20/35), 0.26 (20/37), 0.31 (20/40), and 0.39 (20/49). For an initial best-corrected visual acuity of 0.097 (20/25), the respective values would be 0.054 (20/23), 0.075 (20/24), 0.10 (20/25), 0.14 (20/28), and 0.22 (20/33). CONCLUSION: Long-term visual acuity prognosis worsened when scheduling problems delayed intravitreal injection of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor drugs.

Central retinal vein occlusion caused by hyperviscosity syndrome in a young patient with Sjögren's syndrome and MALT lymphoma.

We report in this article central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) caused by hyperviscosity syndrome (HVS) in a young patient with mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma and Sjögren's syndrome (SjS). A 32-year-old female was referred to our hospital from a local ophthalmologist. Fundoscopic examination and fluorescein angiogram revealed she had a serous retinal detachment in the right eye, together with CRVO (nonischemic type) in both eyes. Systemic examinations revealed hyperglobulinemia, increased blood viscosity, increased antinuclear antibody, increased rheumatoid arthritis particle aggregation, and increased anti-SS-A antibody. Together with a decreased salivary gland secretory function, she was eventually diagnosed as suffering from SjS. Moreover, a large cystic mass was found in the anterior mediastinum on the chest X-ray. Fine needle biopsy soon revealed she had MALT lymphoma. After eight courses of the administration of rituximab, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisolone (R-CVP), most laboratory values were normalized, including blood viscosity. Cystic mass in the anterior mediastinum decreased, and the conditions of CRVO in both eyes had much improved. Decreased best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in the right eye was fully restored by sixth month. Not only MALT lymphoma, but also SjS can cause secondary hyperglobulinemia. Indeed, immunoelectrophoresis-serum test showed a polyclonal pattern of hyperglobulinemia. Therefore, SjS was thought to be the primary reason of hyperglobulinemia in this patient, which induced HVS, eventually causing CRVO. R-CVP therapy was effective for not only MALT lymphoma but also SjS accompanied with HVS. Consequently, R-CVP therapy led to the improvement of CRVO.

Occult macular dystrophy with bilateral chronic subfoveal serous retinal detachment associated with a novel RP1L1 mutation (p.S1199P).

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to present an atypical case of occult macular dystrophy (OMD) with bilateral chronic subfoveal serous retinal detachment (SRD). METHODS: A 53-year-old man was ophthalmologically evaluated because of decreased visual acuity in both eyes. Genomic DNA was extracted from venous blood samples. Mutational analysis of the retinitis pigmentosa 1-like 1 (RP1L1) gene was performed by Sanger sequencing. RESULTS: Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 0.1 logMAR in both eyes until the age of 53, after which it gradually declined. Full-field electroretinography (ERG) was unremarkable, while multifocal ERG revealed a reduced central response in both eyes. Optical coherence tomography showed subfoveal SRD in both eyes, and fundus fluorescein angiography yielded unremarkable results. His brother and cousin had similar subjective symptoms. At age 58, his logMAR BCVA was 0.532 (OD) and 0.347 (OS). He was given 23 administrations of intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB; 1.25 mg) in both eyes alternately over a 2-year period and also underwent reduced-fluence photodynamic therapy in both eyes. Two years after the first administration of IVB, a reduction in SRD was obtained, and IVB was therefore discontinued. Three years after the first administration, logMAR BCVA was 0.155 (OD) and 0.523 (OS). Mutational analysis revealed a novel heterozygous missense mutation (p.S1199P). CONCLUSIONS: We describe in detail a case of bilateral chronic subfoveal SRD in an atypical OMD patient carrying a novel heterozygous RP1L1 mutation (p.S1199P). Our results further extend the phenotypic spectrum of RP1L1-associated OMD.

Nigrospora oryzae causing human corneal keratitis: A case report.

Purpose: We report a rare case of microbial keratitis caused by Nigrospora oryzae. Observations: A 72-year-old Japanese woman was injured by plant debris and developed oval corneal ulcers and hypopyon in the anterior chamber. After 5 days, she complained of pain, redness, and vision loss in her left eye and was treated with antibacterial eye drops and an ointment (1.5 % levofloxacin hydrate, cefmenoxime hydrochloride, and sterilization and disinfection eye drops; SAN-IODE and ofloxacin ophthalmic ointment). Examination revealed a worsening oval corneal ulcer with Descemet's folds and a faint hypopyon. Considering the infection from soil or plants and the poor response to intensive antibacterial eye drops, topical antifungal eye drops, i.e., 1 % voriconazole eye drops, and 1 % natamycin ointment were applied. Direct microscopy of the corneal scraping with Gram staining was performed and the result was negative. Cultures from corneal scrapings showed the growth of dark colonies after several days. The colony was identified as Nigrospora oryzae by sequencing of the fungal internal transcribed spacer region. Pain and vision loss improved with improvement in corneal ulcers. The antifungal treatment was administered for 37 days. Discontinuation of the eye drops after 1 month did not result in keratitis recurrence. At the final follow-up at 70 days, the best-corrected visual acuity was 20/25, with persistent small corneal opacity. Conclusions and importance: Here, we report a case of fungal keratitis caused by Nigrospora oryzae. Microbiological identification of the causes of rare infections is difficult in clinical laboratories, necessitating the use of advanced molecular techniques based on amplification and sequencing of appropriate phylogenetic markers. Nigrospora oryzae responds to topical voriconazole and natamycin.

Descemet Membrane Detachment Triggered by Contrast-Enhanced Computed Tomography in a Patient with a History of Penetrating Keratoplasty for Keratoconus Treatment.

Introduction: We report a case of late-onset Descemet membrane detachment triggered by contrast-enhanced computed tomography more than 30 years after penetrating keratoplasty for keratoconus and describe its successful treatment with air tamponade. Case Presentation: A 53-year-old woman with a history of uneventful penetrating keratoplasty more than 30 years ago for keratoconus presented with acute vision loss caused by corneal edema 2 days after undergoing contrast-enhanced computed tomography. Anterior-segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) revealed corneal stromal edema in the graft and Descemet's fold and partial Descemet membrane detachment without a tear. The patient received 0.1% betamethasone eye drops once every hour, along with sub-Tenon's triamcinolone acetonide injection. Anti-inflammatory treatment improved corneal edema; however, the detachment area widened. Air tamponade facilitated complete Descemet membrane reattachment and improved corneal thickness with complete restoration of visual acuity. Conclusion: An immune response may have been involved in the progression of Descemet membrane detachment in this patient. Anti-inflammatory treatment may have facilitated Descemet membrane reattachment prior to air or gas tamponade. AS-OCT is an excellent imaging modality to detect Descemet membrane detachment in eyes with presumed late penetrating graft rejection or failure.

One-year visual and anatomical outcomes of intravitreal faricimab injection for neovascular age-related macular degeneration after prior brolucizumab treatment.

This single-center retrospective cohort study analyzed the 1-year real-world treatment outcomes of 63 consecutive eyes (of 60 patients) with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) that were switched from intravitreal brolucizumab (IVBr) to intravitreal faricimab (IVF) and managed on a treat-and-extend regimen with discontinuation criteria. After the switch, patients opted to continue IVF, to switch back to IVBr, or receive photodynamic therapy (PDT). Thirty-eight patients continued IVF, 16 patients were switched back to IVBr, 2 patients received PDT, and 4 patients paused treatment. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central subfield thickness (CST), subfoveal choroidal thickness (sf-CT), and injection intervals were compared immediately before and 1 year after the initial IVF. Whereas there was no change in BCVA and CST; 0 [- 0.0969 to 0.125, P = 0.58], - 1.5 [- 27.8 to 13.5, P = 0.11] µm, respectively, sf-CT decreased significantly; - 19.5 [- 45.5 to 7.75, P = 0.015] µm. The patients switched back showed no significant change in sf-CT. The injection interval extended significantly in the IVF continuation and the switch-back group (2.0 and 3.0 weeks, respectively; [P = 0.0007 and 0.0078]) in eyes with a pre-switching interval of less than 12 weeks. Faricimab shows promise as a safe and effective alternative to brolucizumab for treating nAMD.

One-year outcome of brolucizumab for neovascular age-related macular degeneration in Japanese patients.

A new anti-vascular endothelial growth factor agent, brolucizumab, was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration in 2019. We evaluated whether brolucizumab reduces the treatment burden of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) after switching by examining 1-year treatment outcomes in a real-world setting. This retrospective single-institution study included 107 consecutive eyes with nAMD treated with brolucizumab. Among these eyes, 30 with treatment-naïve nAMD and 77 treated with other anti-VEGF agents for more than a year were included. All eyes were managed using a treat and extend (TAE) or modified TAE regimen. The last injection intervals at 52 weeks were 12.9 and 12.1 weeks in the treatment-naïve and switch therapy groups, respectively. Among switch therapy group patients whose pre-switch injection intervals were shorter than 120 days (n = 62 eyes), the injection interval was significantly longer after the switch than before, with a mean difference of 2.7 weeks (P < 0.0001). Intraocular inflammation events occurred in 2 and 7 treatment-naïve and switch therapy patients, respectively. In conclusion, brolucizumab might reduce the treatment burden in patients who required the injection of other anti-VEGF agents with a 120-day interval or shorter, despite a relatively high discontinuation rate due to intraocular inflammation.

Factors Associated With Intraocular Inflammation in Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration Patients Treated With Brolucizumab.

Purpose: To identify factors associated with intraocular inflammation (IOI) in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) treated with brolucizumab. Methods: In this prospective observational study, we collected aqueous humor samples from 96 eyes of 96 patients receiving treatment with brolucizumab; IOI subsequently developed in 19 eyes of 19 patients. To identify cytokines upregulated in eyes with subsequent development of IOI, we compared the aqueous humor cytokine levels between the IOI and non-IOI groups. We also collected plasma from 20 patients who developed IOI and 20 age- and sex-matched controls to identify differences in plasma biomarkers and the subfraction of CD4+ cells. Using stepwise variable selection and multivariate binary regression analysis, we developed an algorithm that accurately assessed the likelihood of IOI occurrence. Results: The IOI group showed elevated aqueous humor levels of P-selectin (584 vs. 324 pg/mL, P = 0.013), TNF-α (0.89 vs. 0.60 pg/mL, P = 0.018), and IL-1α (2.0 vs. 1.4 pg/mL, P = 0.035) compared with the non-IOI group. Serum MMP-9 concentrations were higher in the IOI group than the non-IOI group (18,310 vs. 13,450 pg/mL, P = 0.029). Furthermore, the percentage of Th2 cells was significantly decreased in the IOI compared with the non-IOI group (3.1% vs. 4.2%, P = 0.013). The receiver operating characteristic curves for the optimal models showed an area under the curve ranging from 0.71 to 0.89, indicating good performance. Conclusions: The combination of elevated concentrations of multiple aqueous humor cytokines and of serum MMP-9 and a lower number of plasma Th2 cells is associated with brolucizumab-related IOI in patients with nAMD.

Scleritis following intravitreal brolucizumab injection: a case series.

BACKGROUND: This study reports the first cases of scleritis following intravitreal brolucizumab (IVBr) injection for nAMD, emphasizing the need to be aware of the possibility of scleritis following IVBr injections. CASE PRESENTATION: Case 1. A 74-year-old Japanese man with nAMD complained of conjunctivitis and decreased vision in the right eye 8 days after his eighth IVBr injection. Examination revealed scleritis without anterior inflammation. Topical 0.1% betamethasone and 0.3% gatifloxacin eye drops were started. The scleritis worsened in the following 2 weeks and became painful. He underwent sub-Tenon's capsule triamcinolone acetonide (STTA) injection. Two days later, he returned with a complaint of severe vision loss. Fundus examination revealed retinal artery occlusion, vasculitis, and vitreous opacity in the right eye. Vitreous surgery was performed. CASE 2: An 85-year-old Japanese woman with nAMD in the right eye complained of reddening of the eye 27 days after her fifth IVBr injection. Examination showed conjunctivitis and scleritis without anterior inflammation in the right eye. She was started on 0.1% fluorometholone and 0.5% levofloxacin hydrate eye drops. The scleritis worsened in the following 3 weeks. Her treatment was switched to 0.1% betamethasone eye drops. One month later, the scleritis had improved and a sixth IVBr injection was administered. There was no worsening of the scleritis at that time. However, 1 month after a seventh IVBr injection, she complained of severe hyperemia and decreased vision. Fundus examination revealed vitreous opacification. She underwent STTA, and the vitreous opacity improved in 24 days. Case 3. A 57-year-old Japanese man with nAMD complained of pain and decreased vision in the right eye 21 days after a fourth IVBr injection. Examination revealed scleritis with high intraocular pressure but no anterior chamber or fundus inflammation. STTA and topical eye drops were performed. One month later, scleritis improved but visual acuity didn't due to progression of nAMD. CONCLUSIONS: Intraocular inflammation following IVBr injection may progress to the posterior segment. Scleritis can occur after IVBr injection, and topical eye drops alone may not be sufficient for initial treatment. Clinicians should consider the possibility of scleritis in patients with worsening inflammation after IVBr injection.