age related macular degeneration | Acta Medica Marisiensis

Purpose: The aim of the study was to evaluate the preliminary results of treatment with Bevacizumab (Avastin) in the neovascular or wet form of Age-Related Macular Degeneration.
Methods: Thirty-five consecutive patients (38 eyes) received Avastin intravitreally. Every patient received 3 Avastin injections at a distance of 1 month. Each dose consisted of 2.5 mg (0.1 ml) of Avastin. The therapeutical effect has been evaluated by the value of visual acuity and the central retinal thickness before and after treatment. In order to measure the visual acuity, the classical optotipe was used and the central retinal thickness was evaluated by optical coherence tomography. The follow-up period was 6 months after the last injection.
Results: A number of 28 eyes (74%) had a favorable evolution of visual acuity, 7 eyes (18%) presented a stationary evolution and 3 eyes (8%) had an unfavorable outcome. The highest values were obtained at 1 month after the last injection (control 1). The optical coherence tomo-graphy decreased in 30 eyes (79%) and increased in 8 eyes (21%).
Conclusion: The evolution of visual acuity and central retinal thickness was predominantly favorable in 74% and 79% of the cases, respectively. We observed a direct correlation between the visual acuity and morphological parameters evaluated by optical coherence tomography, in 26 eyes (68%). Most patients described an improvement in the quality of vision, even when the visual acuity remained unchanged.

Purpose: To report the 12-month anatomic and Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) best-corrected visual acuity (VA) response after primary intravitreal bevacizumab (Avastin, Genentech Inc., San Francisco, CA – 2.5 mg) in patients with choroidal neovascularization secondary to age-related macular degeneration.
Methods: One-hundred seventy-two eyes of 164 consecutive patients with choroidal neovascularization secondary to age-related macular degeneration, a mean age of 74.7 years and a minimum of 12 months of follow-up participated in this interventional prospective case series. Patients were treated with at least 3 intravitreal injection of 2.5 mg of bevacizumab. Patients underwent Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study BCVA testing, ophthalmoscopic examination, optical coherence tomography, and fluorescein angiography at baseline and follow-up visits.
Results: Mean baseline VA was 0.17±0.17 (172 eyes), and mean final VA was 0.15±0.18 (40 eyes) at 12 months. Central macular thickness at baseline by optical coherence tomography had a mean of 386.1±135.8 µm which was significantly reduced to a mean of 281.5±100.3 µm, 313.8±103.3 µm, 296.5±129.6 µm, and 276.8±95.69 µm at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after initial treatment, respectively (p < 0.0001). No systemic adverse events were observed.
Conclusions: Primary intravitreal bevacizumab at doses of 2.5 mg seems to provide stability or improvement in VA, optical coherence tomography, and fluorescein angiography in subfoveal choroidal neovascularization secondary to age-related macular degeneration at 12 months.