Abstract
Purpose: :
To investigate the intraocular pressure (IOP) response following intravitreal injection of triamcinolone acetonide.
Methods: :
This retrospective consecutive non–comparative case series study included 41 patients (52 eyes) (19 male, 22 female, mean age 64.1 ± 13.44; range 22 – 85 years) with progressive exudative ARMD (n = 10 eyes) or diffuse diabetic macular oedema (42 eyes), who received one or more intravitreal injection(s) of 25 mg triamcinolone acetonide.
Results: :
IOP increased significantly (p<0.001) from 16.08 (±3.28) mm Hg (range 12–26 mm Hg) preoperatively to a mean maximum of 26.1 (±11.79) mmHg (range 15–80 mm Hg) postoperatively. An IOP rise to values higher than 21 mm Hg was observed in 28 (53.8%) eyes. Elevation of IOP rise occurred 7.5 weeks (±7.07) after the injection. In all but one eye, IOP could be lowered to the normal range with topical medication, without development of glaucomatous optic nerve head changes. In the eye with an elevation of IOP to 80mmHg, an A/C tap was performed resulting in an effective reduction in pressure to 21 and then to a final IOP of 12. All five patients (11.9%) with a family history of glaucoma developed an IOP rise above the mean maximum level.
Conclusions: :
After intravitreal injections of 4 mg of triamcinolone acetonide, an IOP elevation greater than 21 mmHg developed in 53.8% of eyes, starting on average 7.5 weeks after the injection. In the vast majority, IOP was normalised by topical medication alone about 6 months after the injection. A family history of glaucoma may be a predisposition to a greater than average IOP rise following IVTA.
Keywords: intraocular pressure