Abstract
Purpose: :
To examine the effect of a single intravitreal injection of ranibizumab (Lucentis®) on the foveal and average macular thickness in the contralateral eye in patients with neovascular age related macular degeneration (AMD).
Methods: :
A retrospective chart review of 13 patients each having received a unilateral intravitreal injection of ranibizumab was conducted. The central thickness of the fovea and average macular thickness was measured with optical coherence tomography in injected and contralateral eyes. Data was collected prior to treatment and at an average of 2 months after treatment.
Results: :
Of the 13 patients (26 eyes) included, diagnosis at the time of injection was neovascular AMD in one eye of all patients. Patients had no neovascular AMD in the contralateral eye. The mean foveal thickness in the injected eyes prior to treatment was 310μm. The mean average macular thickness was 269μm. The mean foveal thickness of the contralateral eyes was 250μm, with a range of 143-313μm. The mean average macular thickness was 263μm, with a range of 239-294μm. At 2 months post injection, the mean foveal thickness of the injected eyes showed a 16% decrease from baseline to a mean of 261μm (p=0.032). The mean average macular thickness showed a 5% decrease to a mean of 256 (p=0.037). The mean foveal thickness of the contralateral eyes showed a 1% decrease from baseline to a mean of 248μm (p=0.445). The mean average macular thickness showed a 2% decrease to a mean of 258μm (p=0.139).
Conclusions: :
We found at 2 months post injection, the foveal and macular thickness of the contralaterally injected eye decreased, but did not reach statistical significance. These findings may further contribute to the safety profile of intravitreal ranibizumab. Further study is warranted on the effects of multiple ranibizumab injections on the contralateral eye with greater length of follow-up.
Keywords: age-related macular degeneration • macula/fovea • injection