Abstract
Purpose :
Intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agents have not been well studied in treatment of cystoid macular edema (CME) secondary to infectious uveitis (IU) and may prove to be an effective alternative to steroids without the risk of reactivation of latent infection. The purpose of this retrospective case series was to evaluate anti-VEGF agents as a treatment of CME secondary to IU.
Methods :
This retrospective case series included patients treated for CME secondary to inactive IU. Mean change was calculated for central macular thickness (CMT), intraocular pressure (IOP), and best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) between initiation of treatment and final follow up appointments. BCVA was converted into logMAR values for analysis. A paired t test was used to evaluate for statistically significant difference.
Results :
5 eyes of 3 patients were included with underlying diagnoses of syphilitic uveitis in 2 patients (4 eyes) and herpes simplex uveitis in 1 patient (1 eye). The mean treatment course was 11 months with an average of 6 treatments per eye. Mean change in CMT after treatment was -120 µm (p=0.28). There was no statistically significant difference in BCVA before and after treatment (p=0.40). Mean IOP was 17.4 prior to treatment and 17.2 after treatment (p=0.86). Recurrence of uveitis was not observed in any eye during treatment.
Conclusions :
Anti-VEGF agents are safe in eyes with inactive IU. Although statistically insignificant in this small series, there was a trend towards improved anatomical outcomes with this treatment.
This is a 2021 ARVO Annual Meeting abstract.