EFFECT OF REPEATED INTRAVITREAL INJECTIONS IN GLAUCOMA SPECTRUM DISEASES

• Type: Other Publications
• Date: 2022

Authors

Vilares Morgado, R (Author) FMUP; Correia, V (Author) Other; Moleiro, AF (Author) FMUP; Alves, F (Author) Other; Melo, A (Author) Other; Estrela Silva, S (Author) FMUP; Araújo, J (Author) Other; Tavares Ferreira, J (Author) Other; Silva, M (Author) Other; Rocha-Sousa A (Author) FMUP; Joao, AC (Author) Other; Barbosa Breda, J (Author) FMUP

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00X-8G0

DOI: 10.2147/opth.s441500

Abstract (EN): Purpose: To evaluate whether repeated intravitreal injections (IVI) with an anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) agent are associated with glaucomatous progression in eyes with glaucoma spectrum diseases (GSD). Methods: Single-center, retrospective, longitudinal study of patients with bilateral and similar GSD who: (1) received ¿8 IVI in only one eye during the study period; (2) had ¿2 retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFL) measurements obtained by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) at least 12 months apart. The primary outcome was the absolute RNFL thickness change, comparing injected and fellow uninjected eyes. Linear mixed effects models were constructed, including a multivariable model. Results: Sixty-eight eyes from 34 patients were included, 34 injected and 34 fellow uninjected eyes. Average baseline age was 67.68 ±21.77 years with a follow-up of 3.66±1.89 years and 25.12±14.49 IVI. RNFL thickness decreased significantly from 80.92±15.78 to 77.20±17.35 ¿m (p<0.001; ¿1.18±1.93 ¿m/year) in injected eyes and from 79.95±17.91 to 76.61±17.97 ¿m (p<0.001; ¿1.07±0.98 ¿m/ year) in uninjected eyes. In a multivariable linear mixed model of injected eyes, only higher baseline RNFL thickness (p < 0.001) significantly predicted higher absolute RNFL thickness loss. Neither absolute RNFL thickness variation (p=0.716) nor RNFL rate (p=0.779) was significantly different between paired injected and uninjected eyes. Absolute IOP variation was not significantly different between groups (16.62±4.77 to 15.09±4.34 mmHg in injected eyes and 17.68±5.01 to 14.50±3.39 mmHg in fellow uninjected eyes; p=0.248). The proportion of eyes receiving glaucoma medical treatment increased significantly in both groups (55.9% to 76.5% in injected eyes; p=0.039; 58.8% to 76.5% in uninjected eyes; p = 0.031). The number of glaucoma medications also increased significantly in both groups (1.03±1.11 to 1.59±1.18 glaucoma medications in injected eyes; p=0.003; 1.09±1.11 to 1.56±1.19 glaucoma medications in uninjected eyes; p=0.003). Conclusion: Repeated IVI do not seem to accelerate glaucomatous progression. Future studies with a longer follow-up are needed.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific