Macular morphology following unilateral bevacizumab injection for retinopathy of prematurity: an OCT study

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Neonatology
• Medical Research

Background:

• Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a leading cause of visual impairment in premature infants.
• Unilateral type 1 ROP requires treatment, with intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) being a common therapeutic option.
• The long-term effects of IVB on macular and foveal development are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the influence of unilateral intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) on macular thickness and foveal development in infants with unilateral type 1 retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).
• To compare structural foveal development and macular thickness between treated and untreated fellow eyes.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective case series involving seven infants with unilateral type 1 ROP.
• Treatment with unilateral intravitreal bevacizumab (0.625 mg/0.025 ml).
• Spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) performed on both treated and untreated eyes to evaluate macular thickness and foveal structure.

Main Results:

• Foveal development was normal in 43% of treated eyes versus 71% of untreated eyes.
• Mean central foveal thickness was 270.1 μm (treated) compared to 253.0 μm (untreated), a nonsignificant difference (P=0.15).
• No significant differences were observed in foveal development or thickness between IVB-treated and untreated fellow eyes.

Conclusions:

• Unilateral IVB treatment for type 1 ROP did not result in significant differences in foveal development or macular thickness compared to fellow untreated eyes.
• The findings suggest that IVB is unlikely to cause detrimental structural changes to the macula and fovea in this context.
• Further research is warranted to confirm these findings and explore potential long-term implications.