Posters

Effect on corneal endothelium following intravitreal injection ranibizumab in age-related macular degeneration

Poster Details

First Author: B. Kashyap INDIA

Co Author(s):    B. Kashyap   K. Kishore   B. Kashyap              

Abstract Details

Purpose:

Our study was to evaluate the effect of possible changes of endothelium and central corneal thickness after intra vitreal injection of Ranibizumab in patient with choroidal neovascularisation in age related macular degeneration. Studies have shown the expression of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) and its receptors in cornea especially at epithelium and endothelial layer. These were found to have increased in inflamed and vascularized cornea.

Setting:

Prospective case series study carried out at a tertiary eye care center in India.

Methods:

82 eyes of 80 patients (78 unilateral, 2 bilateral) aged between 55 years to 72 years were included in this study. All patients received monthly intra vitreal injection of (0.05ml, 0.5mg) ranibizumab for 3 consecutive months. The endothelial cell densities were measured and compared by Non Contact specular microscopy (Specular Microscope SP-3000P Topcon) performed before injection and at 7 day and 6 months after first intra vitreal injections. The central corneal thickness was measured compared and analyzed preoperatively, at 7th day and 6th month by Alcon, Acuscan Machine to measure Pachymetry.

Results:

This study group included 48 male and 32 female. Out of 82 eyes, 29 eyes (35.4 %) were phakic and 53 eyes (64.6 %) were pseudophakic. There was no significant difference in the endothelial cell densities before the injection and at 7 days and 6 months after the first intra vitreal injection of ranibizumab (p=0.287 at 7 days, p=0.198 at 6 months) There was no significant difference in the central corneal thickness before the injection and at 7 days and 6 months after the first intra vitreal injection (p=0.412 at 7 days, p=0.532 at 6 months)

Conclusions:

Repeated dose of intra vitreal injection of ranibizumab (0.5mg) has no statistically significant effect on corneal endothelium and central corneal thickness at 6 months. Our result supports that repeated intravitreal injections of 0.5 mg of ranibizumab do not seem to cause substantial changes in the corneal endothelium and central corneal thickness.

Financial Disclosure:

NONE