INTRODUCTION: The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the efficacy of the intravitreal injection of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) agents to treat choroidal neovascularization (CNV) caused by a pathology other than exudative type age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
METHODS: This was a retrospective study of 43 treatment naive eyes of 35 patients who had been diagnosed with CNV caused by a pathology other than exudative- type AMD and who underwent intravitreal injection of anti-VEGF agents. Primary and secondary outcome measures were the best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and the central macular thickness (CMT).
RESULTS: The mean patient age was 44.6±13.1 years. The mean number of injections was 3.3±1.8. The mean logarithm of minimal angle of resolution BCVA at baseline and the 12th month follow-up was 0.89±0.50 and 0.73±0.57, respectively (p=0.120). In all, 44.2% of the eyes gained ≥15 letters of BCVA, whereas 14% lost ≥15 letters of BCVA. The mean CMT at baseline and the 12th month follow-up was 381±121 and 311±73 microns, respectively (p=0.001).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Stabilized functional and improved anatomic outcomes following intravitreal anti-VEGF agent injection for CNV unrelated to AMD were seen at the 12th month of follow-up.