SILICONE OIL MAY HAVE RETINAL TOXICITY
Silicone oil tamponade following vitrectomy may cause significant retinal thinning, new data suggests. In a cross-sectional study of 40 eyes with macula-off retinal detachment, spectral domain OCT with automated layer detection showed that compared to 20 eyes with gas tamponade, 20 eyes treated with silicone oil (SiO) had a significant thinning in all fields of the inner ring of the ETDRS map, including the inner plexiform layer in the nasal, superior and temporal quadrants, and the outer plexiform layer in the nasal quadrant.
K. Purtskhvanidze et al., “Thinning of Inner Retinal Layers after Vitrectomy with Silicone Oil versus Gas Endotamponade in Eyes with Macula-Off Retinal Detachment”, Ophthalmologica 2017, Volume 238, Issue 3.
AFLIBERCEPT EFFECTIVE IN EYES WITH POLYPOIDAL CHOROIDAL VASCULOPATHY
Intravitreal aflibercept (Eylea, Regeneron) can bring about stabilisation of BCVA and anatomical improvement in eyes with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PVC), according to the results of a prospective, open-label, single-arm multicentre clinical trial. The study included 50 treatment-naïve PCV patients, all received IVA (2.0 mg) every two months after three initial monthly doses. One year after the initiation of aflibercept treatment BCVA was maintained or improved in 97.6% of the patients, and mean logMAR BCVA had improved from a baseline value of 0.33 to 0.12 logMAR (p < 0.001). In addition, mean central foveal thickness decreased from 356 to 239μm (p < 0.001) and there was complete regression of polypoidal lesions was seen in 72.5% of eyes.
Y. Oshima et al., "One-Year Outcomes following Intravitreal Aflibercept for Polypoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy in Japanese Patients: The APOLLO Study”, Ophthalmologica 2017, Volume 238, Issue 3.
BASELINE OCT PREDICTS AFLIBERCEPT OUTCOMES IN EYES WITH AMD
Baseline OCT findings can predict the likelihood of morphological improvements in neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) patients switching from ranibizumab to aflibercept, the findings of a retrospective study suggest. In 45 consecutive AMD patients with limited response to ranibizumab, central retinal thickness and intra-retinal fluid (IRF) height were significantly reduced 18 months after commencing treatment with aflibercept on a treat-and-extend regimen. In addition, the recurrence-free treatment interval (RFTI) increased from 7.0 to 8.5 weeks (p = 0.01) and visual acuity remained stable. A comparison of outcomes with baseline OCT findings showed that the presence of hyper-reflective foci predicted better morphological outcome, while subretinal fluid predicted a shorter RFTI, and IRF predicted a longer RFTI after switching to aflibercept.
C. Türksever et al., "Baseline Optical Coherence Tomography Findings as Outcome Predictors after Switching from Ranibizumab to Aflibercept in Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration following a Treat-and-Extend Regimen”, Ophthalmologica 2017, Volume 238, Issue 3.
