Background
To investigate the long-term effectiveness of intravitreal bevacizumab treatment in eyes with perfused macular edema due to
branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO).
Methods
In this prospective interventional case series, 23 consecutive, previously untreated eyes with perfused macular edema were
treated with intravitreal bevacizumab (1.25 mg) injections and followed for 1 year. The main outcome measures were visual
acuity (VA) and central retinal thickness (CRT). In addition, VA data were adapted to the non-logarithmic VA charts used in
the previously published grid laser photocoagulation BRVO Study.
Results
The median VA gained 3.0 lines from baseline at 48 weeks. This was accompanied by a significant decrease of 39% of the median
CRT. The mean number of re-injections was 1.6 during the first 6 months of follow-up and only 0.8 during the subsequent 6 months.
In 65% of the cases, adapted VA data showed a gain of 1 or more lines and no eye lost more than 1 line.
Conclusions
Repetitive intravitreal bevacizumab injections result in a significant long-term improvement of VA and CRT. The number of
re-injections necessary to maintain this effect declined over time. However, the treatment seems to be only slightly better
than grid laser photocoagulation.
Keywords Branch retinal vein occlusion - Bevacizumab - Macular edema - Anti-VEGF therapy
Gesine B Jaissle, Martin Leitritz: These authors contributed equally to the work.
The study has been supported by the German Ophthalmological Society (DOG).
The authors have no financial disclosures. The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
The authors have full control of all primary data, and they agree to allow Graefe’s Archive for Clinical and Experimental
Ophthalmology to review their data if requested.