Intravitreal Bevacizumab After Intravitreal Triamcinolone for Exudative Age-Related Macular Degeneration

This study aimed to assess the effect of intravitreal bevacizumab on visual acuity after a previously unsuccessful intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide injection for the treatment of exudative age-related macular degeneration.

This is a clinically interventional case series study.

This study included patients with exudative age-related macular degeneration who had previously received an intravitreal injection of approximately 25 mg of triamcinolone without an increase in visual acuity. Patients received 3.5 (2.3) injections [mean (SD)] of 1.5 mg of bevacizumab.

The study consisted of 36 patients (38 eyes) with a mean (SD) age of 77.9 (7.4) years. The mean (SD) visual acuity before the injection of bevacizumab was 0.84 (0.46) logMAR. After a mean (SD) follow-up of 10.1 (5.8) months (range, 2-21.9 months), the mean visual acuity was 0.94 (0.47) logMAR, without a statistically significant difference between the baseline value and the posttreatment value (P = 0.06; 95% confidence interval for the difference, -0.22 to 0.01 logMAR).

Intravitreal bevacizumab injections may not markedly improve vision in exudative age-related macular degeneration if previous intravitreal triamcinolone failed to increase visual acuity.