Single intravitreal ranibizumab injection in eyes with acute non-arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy.

BACKGROUND: The aim was to evaluate the effect of a single intravitreal ranibizumab injection in eyes with non-arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy. METHODS: Four eyes of four patients comprised the study group. In addition to a standard ocular examination, visual field testing and retinal nerve fibre layer thickness analysis were performed prior to injection and one and three months after the injection. RESULTS: Mean time between visual loss and the intravitreal injection was 7.8 days (range, 2-15 days). The mean age of patients was 58.2 years (range, 45-63 years). After a single dose of ranibizumab injection, all patients experienced a visual gain. Mean visual acuity (VA) was 1.15 ± 0.26 logMar before the injection and improved to 0.37 ± 0.09 logMar at the third post-injection month. The mean retinal nerve fibre layer thickness measured with spectral domain optical coherence tomography significantly decreased after the injection in all eyes. No complication related to the injections was observed during the following three months. CONCLUSION: Intravitreal ranibizumab injection may be a treatment option in eyes with non-arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy and a short disease history.