Abstract
Purpose :
To measure the levels of VEGF in aqueous before and after treatment in patients with diabetic retinopathy treated with anti-VEGF agents. This was compared to VEGF levels in control eyes
Methods :
The study was approved by the local University IRB. Aqueous samples were collected at the time of paracentesis following each intravitreal injection of an anti-VEGF agent given serially every 4 – 6 weeks in patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) or diabetic macular edema (DME). The control eyes consisted of aqueous collected from patients without diabetes or any retinal disease, undergoing cataract surgery. These samples were immediately stored in -800 C freezer. At the time of analysis, aqueous samples were thawed at room temperature and VEGF (pg/ml) levels were measured using human premixed multi-analyte kit and magnetic bead assay on Luminex MAGPIX analyzer (Austin, TX, USA).
Results :
In 203 samples from 59 eyes, the average VEGF level from the first sample measured in
each eye was 198.3 pg/ml. This decreased significantly to an average level of 26.5 pg/ml in the
last sample measured from each eye after 2-9 injections of an anti-VEGF agent (average, 3.4 injections). In 64 control eyes, the average level of VEGF was 34.06 pg/ml. The change in VEGF levels correlated with the retinal thickness on OCT
Conclusions :
Aqueous levels of VEGF can be easily measured at every injection in patients with diabetic retinopathy. Aqueous levels of VEGF were significantly reduced after treatment with anti-VEGF agents. With the ease of obtaining the aqueous sample and measuring the VEGF levels, this maybe a useful parameter in the future, in addition to visual acuity and retinal thickness, to possibly personalize the treatment of patients with diabetic retinopathy.
This abstract was presented at the 2022 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Denver, CO, May 1-4, 2022, and virtually.