Abstract
Purpose :
To assess bilateral ganglion cell layer-inner plexiform layer (GCL-IPL) thickness changes in patients with unilateral neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) treated with anti- vascular endothelial growth factor (aVEGF)
Methods :
Single center, retrospective, cohort study. The medical records of patients with unilateral nAMD treated with aVEGF were reviewed. The treatment group included eyes with newly diagnosed nAMD that subsequently underwent treatment with intravitreal aVEGF injections. The control group was the fellow eye with dry age-related macular degeneration (dAMD). Eyes that received at least 10 intravitreal injections were included. Measurement of the GCL-IPL thickness was performed at different timepoints using spectral domain-optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT).
Results :
A total of 216 eyes/108 patients met the inclusion criteria. The mean age [± standard deviation] was 80.1 years [± 10.7 years]. Eyes in the treatment group underwent a mean of 20.2 ± 7.2 injections in 43.2 ± 13.9 months. The mean GCL-IPL thickness decreased from 74.8 ± 6.6 μm to 69.6 ± 9.5 (p < 0.001) in the treatment group and from 74.4 ± 6.2 μm to 72.8 ± 8.2 [DM1] μm in the control group (p = 0.013). Other variables such as age, duration of treatment, number of injections, IOP, and central retinal thickness did not correlate with GCL-IPL thickness change.
Conclusions :
The GCL-IPL thickness decreased in the treatment group and the control group. The mechanism and the clinical significance of this observation warrant further study.
This is a 2021 ARVO Annual Meeting abstract.