Purpose
To evaluate and compare the 12-month outcomes of two different initial doses of intravitreal ranibizumab for myopic choroidal neovascularization (CNV).
Methods
We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 46 consecutive, treatment-naive eyes which received intravitreal ranibizumab for subfoveal and juxtafoveal CNV secondary to pathologic myopia with a follow-up of 12 months. Two groups were created according to different initial doses: group 1 included 25 eyes treated by a single intravitreal injection; group 2 included 21 eyes treated by 3 consecutive monthly injections. Additional injections were performed if needed. Patients’ demographic data, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), recurrence of CNV, and total number of treatments were recorded and evaluated.
Results
There was no significant difference between two groups among baseline demographic data. At 12 months, the mean logMAR BCVA improved from 0.58 to 0.23 in group 1 and from 0.55 to 0.22 in group 2 (both p<0.001; two-tailed, paired t test). The mean logMAR BCVA at 12 months did not differ significantly. The average number of injections was 2.32 (SD 1.22) in group 1 and 3.57 (SD 1.12) in group 2 (p=0.001). During the follow-up, 17 of 25 eyes in group 1 and 5 of 21 eyes in group 2 received additional injections (p=0.004).
Conclusions
Similar visual improvement was achieved in both groups. Although the eyes with a loading dose of 3 monthly injections required a higher number of total injections over one year, there was a much lower rate of CNV recurrence.
Keywords: 453 choroid: neovascularization •
605 myopia •
748 vascular endothelial growth factor