Purpose
To evaluate the clinical results of aflibercept intravitreal injection (AI) in choroidal neovascularization (CNV) secondary to pathologic myopia (PM-CNV).
Methods
30 patients with subfoveal PM-CNV, were treated with 2 mg (0.05 mL or 50 microliters) AI. ETDRS best corrected visual acuity, macular thickness on OCT scans, and angiographic features were recorded and evaluated. The aspect of OCT scans passing across the PM-CNV was also analyzed. RII were repeated only in case of persistent angiographic leakage and if OCT scans showed retinal thickening or edema and serous retinal detachment. The follow-up period was at least 1 year.
Results
The mean age of the study patients was 32 years (25-48) and the mean refractive error -11.50 D. At 12 months post-treatment, mean VA increased from 20/100 (20/400 -20/40) to 20/50 (20/200-20/30). Only 3 patients lost 35 letters due to macular atrophy; the other 27 increased or stabilized their VA. Mean macular thickness decreased from 329 to 258 µm. No ocular or general side effects were recorded.
Conclusions
These short-term results suggest that AI are effective and safe in patients with PM-CNV. The number of patients in this pilot study was limited and the follow-up is too short to make any specific treatment recommendations, but the favorable short-term results suggest further study is needed.