Abstract
Purpose :
To evaluate visual acuity outcomes by injection frequency following treatment with intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) agents in patients with macular edema secondary to retinal vein occlusion (RVO) in routine clinical practice.
Methods :
This retrospective analysis of electronic medical records collected from 251 retina specialists (Vestrum Health Retina Research Dataset; Naperville, IL) included treatment-naïve patients with macular edema secondary to branch RVO (BRVO) or central RVO (CRVO) who received a first anti-VEGF injection between January 1, 2012 and May 31, 2016 and had at least one year of follow-up. Visual acuity score (VAS) was evaluated in two dosing subgroups: ≤6 injections and ≥7 injections at year 1.
Results :
Of the 3,099 patients with macular edema secondary to BRVO, 1,197 (39%) patients received ≤6 injections, and 1,902 (61%) patients received ≥7 injections through 1 year. The mean number of injections in patients receiving ≤6 injections and ≥7 injections was 4.6 and 8.8, respectively. The corresponding mean baseline VAS was 68 and 67 letters, respectively. Mean VAS gain from baseline in patients receiving ≤6 injections vs. those receiving ≥7 injections was 10.4 vs. 13.9 letters (P<0.001) at year 1, respectively.
Of the 2,458 patients with macular edema secondary to CRVO, 851 (35%) patients received ≤6 injections, and 1,607 (65%) patients received ≥7 injections through 1 year. The mean number of injections in patients receiving ≤6 injections and ≥7 injections was 4.7 and 8.8, respectively. The corresponding mean baseline VAS was 50 and 52 letters, respectively. Mean VAS gain from baseline in patients receiving ≤6 injections vs. those receiving ≥7 injections was 7.0 vs. 12.2 letters (P<0.001) at year 1, respectively.
Conclusions :
Data from routine clinical practice suggest injection frequency influences the potential gain in VA. Patients with macular edema secondary to RVO treated with ≥7 injections had greater gains in visual acuity than patients treated with ≤6 injections at year 1.
This abstract was presented at the 2019 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Vancouver, Canada, April 28 - May 2, 2019.