Long-term visual outcome and prognostic factors after intravitreal ranibizumab injections for polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy.

PURPOSE

To evaluate long-term visual outcome and investigate the prognostic factors after anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy for polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV).

DESIGN

Retrospective study.

METHODS

Analyses were done among 36 eyes (36 patients) with naïve PCV that were treated with intravitreal ranibizumab injections and completed at least 3-year follow-up. All clinical data, including baseline characteristics; imaging data from fluorescein angiography, indocyanine green angiography, and optical coherence tomography; presence of recurrence; and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) were investigated.

RESULTS

During mean follow-up of 42.58 ± 12.59 months, mean numbers of anti-VEGF injection were 11.45 ± 7.81. Twenty-four eyes (66.7%) showed at least 1 recurrence during follow-up. Mean baseline BCVA was 0.68 ± 0.43 logMAR (20/95 Snellen equivalent), and 0.78 ± 0.53 logMAR (20/120 Snellen equivalent) at 36 months (P = .307). Mean BCVA was significantly improved at 1 month (P = .018), and improvement was maintained until 12 months (P = .044), then deteriorated. Among baseline characteristics, greatest lesion diameter (B = 0.219, P = .001) and pigment epithelial detachment (B = 0.362, P = .025) were significantly correlated with long-term visual outcome. Recurrence during follow-up (B = 0.371, P = .024) was also significantly correlated with long-term visual outcome.

CONCLUSION

Significant visual improvement by anti-VEGF therapy was maintained during the first year of initial treatment; however, vision then deteriorated during long-term follow-up. Smaller lesion size, absence of pigment epithelial detachment at baseline, and no recurrence during follow-up were significantly correlated with better long-term visual outcome.