Real-World Outcomes of Anti-VEGF Treatment for Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration in Turkey: A Multicenter Retrospective Study, Bosphorus Retina Study Group Report No: 1

Objectives: To evaluate the real-world outcomes of intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) treatment in neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) patients. Materials and Methods: Multicenter, retrospective, interventional, non-comparative study. The records of nAMD patients treated with an anti-VEGF agent on a pro re nata treatment regimen basis between January 2013 and December 2015 were reviewed. The patients who completed a follow-up period of 12 months were included. Primary outcome measures of this study were the visit and injection numbers during the first year. Results: Eight hundred eighty eyes of 783 patients met the inclusion criteria for the study. Mean number of visits at month 12 was 6.9±2.5 (range: 1-15). Mean number of injections at month 12 was 4.1±1.9 (range: 1-11). Mean visual acuity at baseline and months 3, 6, and 12 was 0.90±0.63 LogMAR (range: 0.0-3.0), 0.79±0.57 LogMAR (range: 0.0-3.0), 0.76±0.57 LogMAR (range: 0.0-3.0), and 0.79±0.59 LogMAR (range: 0.0-3.0), respectively. Mean central retinal thickness at baseline and months 6 and 12 was 395±153 μm (range: 91-1582), 330±115 μm (range: 99-975), and 332±114 μm (range: 106-1191), respectively. Conclusion: The numbers of visits and injections were much lower than ideal and were insufficient with the pro re nata treatment regimen

The Effect of Adjuvant Intracameral Triamcinolone Acetonide on the Surgical Results of Trabeculectomy with Mitomycin C

Objectives: To evaluate the effect of adjuvant intracameral triamcinolone acetonide (TA) on the surgical results of trabeculectomy with mitomycin C. Materials and Methods: All consecutive trabeculectomy cases performed in the glaucoma clinic between July 2012 and December 2013 were retrospectively reviewed from the patient charts. Only those with follow-up of 12 months or longer were included. Patients with intraoperative intracameral TA (study group, n=19) were compared to those without TA (control group, n=21) in terms of surgical success, intraocular pressure (IOP) change, medication use and complications. Results: Forty eyes of 31 patients (21 male/10 female, mean age 64.2±13.8 years) were included in the study. The mean follow-up period was 20.9±5.1 months and 20.7±6.7 months in the study and control groups, respectively (p=0.830). Baseline IOP was 26.4±9.9 and 25.2±7.6 mmHg (p=0.979), and final IOP was 12.7±2.6 and 13.6±3 mmHg in both groups respectively (p=0.226). At the final follow-up, complete success was observed in 68.4% and 52.4% of the study and control groups (p=0.349) and anti-glaucoma medication was used by 31.6% (mean number of medications: 0.79±1.2) and 47.6% (mean number of medications: 1.33±1.7), respectively (p>0.05). Bleb encapsulation, leakage, suture-lysis and hypotony rates were similar in both groups (for all, p>0.05). Cataract progression was noted in six (35.3%) and in five (26.3%) of the phakic eyes in the study and control groups, respectively (p=0.720). Conclusion: When used intracamerally, TA did not increase the complication rate in trabeculectomy surgery. Although the group that received TA showed lower IOP levels, use of fewer medications and fewer eyes requiring medication, the differences did not reach significance

Efficacy of Intravitreal Bevacizumab in Treatment of Proliferative Type 2 Idiopathic Juxtafoveal Telangiectasia

Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) in patients with subretinal neovascularization secondary to type 2 juxtafoveal telangiectasia. Materials and Methods: Ten eyes of 10 patients were included in this retrospective study. All cases were treated with IVB (1.25 mg bevacizumab). Visual acuity and slit-lamp anterior and posterior segment examinations were performed at each visit. Central macular thickness (CMT) and intraretinal/subretinal fluid were evaluated via spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT). Loss of a line in visual acuity chart and presence of fluid on OCT were defined as criteria for repeated treatment. Results: The mean age of patients was 66.0±7.0 years (56-75). The mean follow-up time was 54.7±16.0 month (24-72). The mean BCVA was 0.62±0.35 (0.00-1.00) logMAR at baseline and 0.54±0.35 (0.00-1.00) logMAR at final exam (p=0.03). The mean CMT was 251±25.4 µm at baseline and 239±39.3 µm at final exam (p=0.01). Patients received an average of 1.7±1.0 IVB injections during follow-up. At baseline, all cases had intraretinal/subretinal fluid. There was no fluid at final examination of all cases. Conclusion: IVB treatment may be effective in the treatment of subretinal neovascularization secondary to type 2 juxtafoveal telangiectasia

Long-term Results of Small-incision Lenticule Extraction in High Myopia

Objectives: To evaluate two-year results of small-incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) for correction of high myopia. Materials and Methods: Forty-five eyes of 35 patients with mean spherical equivalent (SE) of -7.10±0.95 D who underwent routine SMILE by a single surgeon and were followed for at least 2 years were analyzed by retrospective chart review. SMILE was performed with a Visumax femtosecond laser (Carl Zeiss Meditec, Jena, Germany). Follow-up intervals were at 1, 6, 12, and 24 months after surgery. Uncorrected and best corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), corneal wavefront measurements, and all complications were recorded. Results: After 2 years, 86% of eyes with plano target had an uncorrected distant visual acuity (VA) of 20/20 or better. Two percent of eyes lost 1 line of CDVA, while 32% gained 1 line. The mean SE after 2 years was -0.30±0.50 D. Corneal total high-order aberrations (HOA) increased from 0.43 to 0.92 μm at postoperative 12 months. There were metallic foreign bodies at the corneal interface in 1 eye of 1 patient which caused no decrease in VA. Conclusion: SMILE for high myopia seems safe and effective in light of two-year follow-up results. The procedure caused a moderate increase in HOA

The Efficacy of Intravitreal Bevacizumab in Vitreous Hemorrhage of Diabetic Subjects

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB) in the resolution of vitreous hemorrhage (VH) secondary to proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). Materials and Methods: Seventy eyes of 70 patients (43 male, mean age 55.6±12.2 years) diagnosed with VH secondary to PDR were evaluated retrospectively. Demographic characteristics of the patients, baseline and final clinical results, and the interventions the patients were subject to were recorded. The patients who received IVB injections (group 1, n=29) were compared to those who did not receive injections (group 2, n=41) in terms of VH clearance time and surgery rates. Results: The mean follow-up time was 14.5±6.1 months in group 1 and 18.4±9.6 months in group 2 (p=0.185). The mean visual acuity was similar between the groups at baseline and at the last visit (for all p>0.05). Panretinal photocoagulation could be applied in 86% of subjects in group 1 and in 58% in group 2 within the first month (p=0.016). VH clearance time was not different between the groups (2.3±2.1 months in group 1 and 3.4±2.6 months in group 2, p=0.146). The number of subjects requiring surgery was 7 (24%) in group 1 and 20 (48.8%) in group 2 (p=0.048). Conclusion: IVB was found effective in cases with VH secondary to PDR in terms of reducing the need for surgery and increasing the rate of subjects to whom panretinal photocoagulation could be applied in the early period, although there was no impact on final visual acuity