OPHTHALMOLOGICA

Ranibizumab preserves good acuity in AMD

Intravitreal ranibizumab (IVR) can preserve visual acuity and improve retinal morphology in patients who have maintained good vision despite the presence of early neovascular AMD, according to the results of a prospective study. The eyes treated in the study had a mean acuity of 0.11 logMAR at baseline and all had acuity better than 0.22 logMAR. At one year of follow­-up and with a mean of 3.3 injections, the mean BCVA was not significantly changed, with a value of 0.12 logMAR. Moreover, the mean central retinal thickness improved significantly, from 320μm at baseline to 254μm at month 12 (p < 0.01). A Kato, “Intravitreal Ranibizumab for Patients with Neovascular Age­Related Macular Degeneration with Good Baseline Visual Acuity”, Ophthalmologica 2015; Volume 233, Issue 1 (DOI: 10.1159/000368249).

Haemodilution-­anti­-VEGF combo promiSING

A combination of intravitreal ranibizumab injection and isovolemic haemodilution (IH) appears to be very efficacious in improving visual acuity in eyes with macular oedema secondary to central retinal vein occlusion, and IH alone might be a useful treatment option in patients with early CRVO, the results of a randomised multicentre trial suggest. Among 28 eyes randomised to receive the combined treatment initially, there was an average gain of 28 letters at a follow-­up of one year. Among 30 eyes receiving IH alone initially there was an average gain of 25 letters. TC Kreutzer et al, “Intravitreal Ranibizumab versus Isovolemic Hemodilution in the Treatment of Macular Edema Secondary to Central Retinal Vein Occlusion: Twelve­Month Results of a Prospective, Randomized, Multicenter Trial”, Ophthalmologica 2015; Volume 233, Issue 1 (DOI: 10.1159/000369566).

Dexamethasone implant: good efficacy and safety

Repeat injections with the Ozurdex 0.7mg dexamethasone implant appear to be a well-­tolerated and effective treatment for macular oedema (ME) due to retinal vein occlusion (RVO) clinical practice, according to the results of a retrospective multicentre study.

The study’s authors reviewed anonymised observational data collected from 87 patients. All were over 18 years old, had a diagnosis of ME secondary to branch or central RVO, and had received at least two 0.7mg dexamethasone implant injections during routine practice. The mean time between the first and second injection of the steroidal treatments was 5.03 months overall, and 5.46 and 4.52 months for the branch and central RVO subpopulations, respectively. An IOP increase to 25.0mmHg or greater occurred in 20 per cent of patients. None of the patients required IOP-­lowering surgery. AJ Augustin et al, “Retrospective, Observational Study in Patients Receiving a Dexamethasone Intravitreal Implant 0.7 mg for Macular Oedema Secondary to Retinal Vein Occlusion”, Ophthalmologica 2015; Volume 233, Issue 1 (DOI:10.1159/000368840).