Optical Coherence Tomography Prognostic Factors in Age-Related Macular Degeneration Patients with Peripapillary...

The aim of the study was to investigate the correlation between optical coherence tomography (OCT) findings and visual acuity outcomes after treatment with intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) injections for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) patients with peripapillary choroidal neovascularization (PPCNV).

The study involved a retrospective case series of consecutive patients diagnosed with PPCNV secondary to AMD. All patients were treated with IVB injections with a follow-up time of 1 year. Data collected included best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and automated and manually measured OCT parameters.

A total of 68 eyes were diagnosed with PPMV. Of them, 30 eyes of 30 patients aged 84.3 ± 6.9 years of which 63.3% female gender were included. Baseline BCVA was 0.46 ± 0.62 logMAR (Snellen 20/57), average choroidal thickness was 193.2 ± 22 μm, and mean number of IVB injections was 7.2 ± 1.9. After 1 year, BCVA was 0.56 ± 0.78 logMAR (Snellen 20/72) (p = 0.28). Eyes with greater central retinal thickness (r = -0.36, p = 0.05), greater subretinal hyper-reflective material (SHRM) area (r = -0.37, p = 0.05), and greater sub-retinal fluid (SRF) area (r = -0.73, p < 0.001) had a significantly smaller improvement in BCVA. Eyes with pigment epithelium detachment (PED) (0.68 ± 0.90 vs. 0.21 ± 0.12, p = 0.03) had a significantly worse BCVA.

Our data suggest that AMD-related PPCNV with greater foveal thickness, PED size, SHRM, and SRF areas have worse final BCVA prognosis.