Abstract
Purpose :
The efficacy of Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agents in treating retinal vein occlusions (RVO) has been demonstrated. However, differences in visual acuity (VA) and central subfield thickness (CST) with relation to patient age has been relatively unexplored. Our study hypothesizes that patients in different age cohorts experience differences in these outcomes.
Methods :
This retrospective study evaluated 295 eyes with RVO treated with anti-VEGF at a single tertiary-care center from January 1, 2010-August 31, 2019. Patients who were lost to follow-up after 3 months post-the first injection or with concurrent maculopathies were excluded. Patients were separated into three age groups: young patients (Group Y) aged 22-55 (n=41), middle-aged patients (Group M) aged 56-72 (n=130), and elderly patients (Group E) aged 73-95 (n=124). Outcomes including VA and CST were collected at baseline, 1, 3, 6, and 12 months, with the primary outcome being change in CST. ANOVA with Tukey were used to compare outcomes between cohorts, while paired t-tests were used to compare 12 month and baseline variables within each cohorts.
Results :
Mean baseline CST was 406.2±163.7, 444.7±167.8 and 447.6±188.8 for Groups Y, M, and E respectively (p=0.4). Mean 12-month CST was 292.07±80, 326.51±135.65, and 324.29±115 for Groups Y, M, and E respectively. There were no significant differences in 12-month CST values between the cohorts (p=0.3), though all groups experienced a significant decrease in CST at 12 months when compared to baseline (p<0.01 all). Mean baseline VA was 57.8±17.2, 53.5±20.0, and 53.7±20.0 for Groups Y, M, and E respectively (p=0.5). Mean 12-month VA was 71.07±15.42, 67.45±16.26, and 62.80±18.91 for Groups Y, M, and E respectively. There was a significantly greater 12-month VA in Group Y than in Group E (p=0.02), while all other differences were not significant. VA was also significantly improved from baseline at 12-months within each group (p<0.01 all).
Conclusions :
While there were not significant differences in baseline vision and CST on presentation stratified by age, younger patients have better 12 month VA outcomes after anti-VEGF therapy when compared to older patients without enhanced outcomes in CST.
This is a 2020 ARVO Annual Meeting abstract.