Effect of Vitreous Reflux after Intravitreal Aflibercept Injection for Macular Edema with Branch Retinal Vein Occlusion: A Real-World Study.

PURPOSE

This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effect of vitreous reflux (VR) after intravitreal aflibercept injection (IVAI) for macular edema (ME) following naïve branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO).

METHODS

Eighty patients with ME following BRVO were divided into three groups according to the conjunctival bleb diameter after IVAI as follows: group A (no VR), group; B (<3 mm VR), and group C (>3 mm VR). Each patient received single IVAI. The treatment response was evaluated with the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and optical coherence tomography measurements of the retinal foveal thickness (RFT) before treatment and 1 month after the first injection. RFT >375 m was defined as recurrence and received additional IVAI. The recurrence rate of ME and total numbers of IVAI were investigated at 12 months.

RESULTS

The BCVA values at 1 month were 0.17 ± 0.29 in group A ( = 41), 0.18 ± 0.17 in group B ( = 18), and 0.19 ± 0.26 in group C ( = 21). The RFT at 1 month were 270 ± 45 m in group A, 279 ± 24 m in group B, and 290 ± 43 m in group C, respectively. ME recurred in 29 out of 41 patients in group A, 15 out of 18 in group B, and 14 out of 21 in group C. The total numbers of IVAI were 2.50 ± 1.24 in group A, 2.59 ± 1.06 in group B, and 2.29 ± 1.27 in group C, respectively. In the above mentioned comparisons, no significant differences were found following an IVAI ( > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

VR after IVAI did not affect the therapeutic effect in patients with ME following BRVO. Thus, we do not need to pay excess attention to VR in the case of IVAI.