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Intravitreal aflibercept for myopic choroidal neovascularization

  • Retinal Disorders
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose

To assess the use of aflibercept for the treatment of subfoveal myopic choroidal neovascularization (CNV).

Methods

Thirty-two patients (33 eyes) with myopic subfoveal CNV were consecutively enrolled in this prospective open-label case series. All patients were treated with an off-label 2-mg intravitreal injection of aflibercept. After the first injection, administration of aflibercept followed an “on demand” pro re nata (PRN) regimen. The primary outcome was change in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) score after 12 months.

Results

Mean follow-up was 12 months, and the median number of aflibercept injections was 2.0 (range 1–4). Overall, mean BCVA improved from 0.59 ± 0.37 logMAR at baseline to 0.38 ± 0.33 logMAR at 12 months, a change of −0.21 ± 0.23 logMAR (p < 0.0001), and from 70.5 ± 18.5 to 81.1 ± 16.4 letters, a change of 10.6 ± 11.4 (p < 0.0001). Improvements were similar among patients irrespective of previous PDT. The Increase in BCVA was greater in younger patients (aged < 50 years) and those with baseline BCVA of ≤ 75 letters.

Conclusion

Intravitreal aflibercept in a PRN regimen is effective for the treatment of myopic CNV, with no apparent short-term safety effects. Treated eyes had BCVA gains after 12 months, with a median of two injections.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unità Operativa di Oftalmologia, Ospedale di Melegnano, Via Pandina 1, 20077, Melegnano, (MI), Italy

    Alfredo Pece

  2. Fondazione Retina 3000, Milan, Italy

    Paolo Milani

Authors
  1. Alfredo Pece
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  2. Paolo Milani
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alfredo Pece.

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Funding

No funding was received for this research.

Conflict of Interest

All authors certify that they have no affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest or non-financial interest in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Additional information

This work was partially sponsored by Retina 3000 foundation

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Pece, A., Milani, P. Intravitreal aflibercept for myopic choroidal neovascularization. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 254, 2327–2332 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-016-3396-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00417-016-3396-9

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