Intravitreal Bevacizumab For Exudative Age-Related Macular Degeneration

PURPOSE:To evaluate the feasibility of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) monotherapy (bevacizumab) in the treatment of exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD).PARTICIPANTS:Ninety-one eyes of121patients who initially diagnosed with exudative AMD from October2010to May2013. Patients were followed up for at least6months after treatment.Methods:This is a prospectively nonrandomized clinical intervention study. During the period from2010October to2013March,121patients were diagnosed as exudative macular degeneration. All of the121patients who accepted intravitreal injection of Bevacizumab2.5mg/0.1ml were followed up for6months. Patients that fluorescent angiography showed fluorescein leakage or see leakage recurrence, were underwent intravitreal injection of Bevacizumab2.5mg/0.1ml again. All patients underwent complete ophthalmologic examination such as best corrected visual acuity, intraocular pressure, retinal thickness of central fovea of macula, fluorescein angiography of vascular leakage, and slit lamp on the initial visit. At days1,7, after the first injection. Binocular indirect ophthalmoscopy, best corrected visual acuity and intraocular pressure were performed. At days1-month,3-month and6-month following the first injection, Examine patients with best corrected visual acuity, intraocular pressure, retinal thickness of central fovea of macula, fluorescein angiography of vascular leakage.Results:compared of the best corrected visual acuity with before and after treatment:The mean best corrected visual acuity and the mean central macular thickness at baseline were0.195±0.181and335.83±73.21μm. At the1-month examination, the mean best corrected visual acuity significantly improved to0.315±0.182, whereas the mean CMT decreased to266.46±54.55μm. At the3-month examination, the mean best corrected visual acuity was0.350±0.270, and the mean CMT was261.73±64.11μm. At the6-month (last) follow-up, the best corrected visual acuity showed substantial stabilization and the CMT decreased to258.61±60.47μm.Compared with Baseline of Best corrected visual acuity value respectively were t=1.540, t=2.213, t=2.770.(P=0.000, P=0.000, P=0.000), The difference was significant. The best corrected visual acuity were obviously improved, at the days30,90,and180following the first injection.After treatment the mean central macular thickness decreased Obviously, and all eyes macular edema decreased significantly; The difference of intraocular pressure was not significant, no obvious change before and after treatment. No side effects or complications were registered.CONCLUSIONS:The use of intravitreal Anti-VEGF monotherapy for exudative AMD is a effective option for with low rate of complications.