Abstract
Purpose:
To evaluate the effects of macular ischemia and early treatment on the visual outcomes of patients with branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO).
Methods:
This study retrospectively reviewed the records of 42 eyes of 42 patients who were treated with an intravitreal bevacizumab injection for BRVO, repeated 3 times at a 6-week interval, and whose data were available for a follow-up period of at least 4 years. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) results before treatment and at 6, 12, 24, 36, and 48 months after the 3 serial injections were measured. We assessed macular ischemia, time to the first treatment, and the relationship of these with BCVA.
Results:
Mean BCVA (logMAR) was significantly improved from 0.67 ± 0.43 at baseline to 0.30 ± 0.30 at 48 months (p<0.001). Four years after treatment, mean BCVA in the macular non-ischemic group was better than in the ischemic group, but this relationship did not hold for mean change in BCVA. There was a statistically significant (p<0.05) difference between the early (≤6wks) and late (>6wks) treatment groups in BCVA and mean change in BCVA after 48 months. There was statistically significant (p<0.05) difference between the early (≤6wks) and late (>6wks) treatment groups with macular ischemia in BCVA after 48 months.
Conclusions:
In patients with BRVO, a significant visual improvement was maintained after intravitreal bevacizumab injections, despite the presence of macular ischemia. Early treatment (within 6 weeks) is more effective for maintaining and improving visual acuity. Similar results in the macular ischemia group confirmed the importance of early treatment.
Keywords: 749 vascular occlusion/vascular occlusive disease •
748 vascular endothelial growth factor