Abstract
Purpose::
To assess the intraocular pressure (IOP) changes, within the first 30 minutes after intravitreal injection of 0.1 cc (4mg) triamcinolone, 0.09 cc (0.3mg) pegaptanib and 0.05 cc (1.25mg) bevacizumab.
Methods::
Records of patients who received intravitreal triamcinolone, pegaptanib and bevacizumab, and who had their IOP measured post-injection were reviewed.
Results::
A total of 212 injections were performed (76 bevacizumab in 63 patients, 42 triamcinolone in 41 patients, 94 pegaptanib in 74 patients). At 10 minutes, over 87% of eyes receiving each drug had an IOP of less than 35 mmHg. Three of the 42 eyes receiving intravitreal triamcinolone were treated with IOP-lowering drops for pressures of 44mmHg, 46 mmHg and 60 mmHg. No patients treated with intravitreal bevacizumab or pegaptanib received IOP-lowering drops. The number of eyes in each injection group which had an IOP rise >10 mmHg within 30 minutes after injection was 27.6% of eyes receiving bevacizumab, 33.3% of eyes receiving triamcinolone, and 36.2% of eyes receiving pegaptanib. At 10 minutes, eyes with glaucoma were less likely to have an IOP < 35 mmHg, but this difference became less marked with time. At 10 minutes, over 87% of eyes receiving each drug had an intraocular pressure of less than 35 mmHg. There was no statistically significant difference at 10 minutes between the mean intraocular pressures of each drug (p>0.05). At 15 minutes, over 83% of eyes receiving each drug had an intraocular pressure of less than 35 mmHg. Over 90% of eyes in all groups maintained an IOP of less than 35 at all time points measured; there was no statistically significant difference between the mean intraocular pressures of each drug (p>0.05) at all time points.
Conclusions::
In our series, most patients receiving intravitreal injections did not require IOP-lowering drops after injection, and none required a paracentesis.
Keywords: intraocular pressure • age-related macular degeneration