OPHTHALMOLOGICA

Ranibizumab stabilises AMD

Intravitreal ranibizumab can maintain baseline visual acuity for three years in eyes with exudative AMD, although most patients will not have a lasting improvement in their vision, according to the results of a retrospective study involving 84 eyes of 77 patients. The study showed that among 52 eyes who completed three years of follow-up the mean BCVA was 49.33 letters at baseline and 49.52 letters at the 36-month visit. The average number of treatments was 8.6 at three years. In eight eyes (15.4 per cent) BCVA had increased by 15 or more letters compared to baseline and in 32 eyes (61.5 per cent) BCVA had stabilised, but eight eyes lost more than 15 letters of BCVA.

Marques et al, Ophthalmologica; DOI:10.1159/000343709

Gas tamponade affects corneal biomechanics

Gas tamponade with sulphur hexafluoride (SF6) and perfluropropane (C3F8) when combined with pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) may affect biomechanical parameters of the cornea in the early postoperative period, according to the results of a comparative trial. In the study, 19 eyes underwent pars plana vitrectomy with perfluropropane, 14 eyes underwent PPV with sulphur hexafluoride tamponade and 16 eyes underwent PPV without tamponade. During the first postoperative week, the perfluropropane group had significant increases in corneal resistance factor (CRF), corneal compensated intraocular pressure (IOPcc) and Goldmann-correlated intraocular pressure (IOPg). In the sulphur hexafluoride group, CRF increased significantly but the increases in IOPcc and IOPg were not significant. The group without gas tamponade also had increases in CRF, IOPcc and IOPg, but they did not reach statistical significance.

Teke et al, Ophthalmologica; DOI: 10.1159/000341573

Systemic factors and DME

The results of a retrospective study indicate that systemic factors have an important bearing on visual outcomes and clinical findings pre- and postoperatively in patients with diabetic macular oedema (DME) who undergo vitrectomy with internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling. The study involved 31 eyes of 27 patients. Preoperatively, foveal average retinal thickness was significantly thicker in patients who had cardiovascular disease or cerebral infarction (p = 0.0019), cystoid macular oedema (p = 0.0028), or were not on dialysis (p = 0.012). Six months postoperatively, foveal average retinal thickness was significantly greater among patients with a higher body mass index (p = 0.0088). Preoperatively, BCVA was significantly lower when an epiretinal membrane was present (p = 0.042). Six months postoperatively, BCVA was significantly lower in the group who had no previous history of diabetes treatment (p = 0.023) and those with a higher preoperative glycosylated haemoglobin (p = 0.033).

Yamada et al, Ophthalmologica; DOI: 0.1159/000345494

Ranibizumab speeds recovery

Intravitreal Ranibizumab resolves neurosensory detachment more quickly than observation alone in eyes with acute central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC), new research suggests. In a study involving 20 patients who had acute CSC, the mean time to complete resolution of neurosensory retinal detachment was only 4.2 weeks among 10 patients randomly allocated to receive intravitreal ranibizumab. That compared to 13 weeks among 10 patients in the observation group. By six months' follow-up there was no difference between the groups in terms of central foveal thickness or BCVA.

Kim et al Ophthalmologica; DOI: 10.1159/000345495