title: Retinal functional changes measured by microperimetry in neovascular age-related macular degeneration patients treated with ranibizumab.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess functional and structural retinal changes in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration treated with intravitreal ranibizumab 0.5 mg.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighteen patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration have been evaluated in this retrospective 24-week follow-up study. All patients were treated with three injections of ranibizumab 0.5 mg, 1 month apart and retreated according to predefined criteria. At baseline, all patients were subjected to visual acuity measurement, fluorescein angiography, microperimetry, and optical coherence tomography stratus. Visual acuity, microperimetry, and optical coherence tomography evaluations were repeated 28 +/- 2 days after each injection.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean retinal sensitivity significantly improved from 3.89 +/- 3.0 dB at baseline to 6.61 +/- 3.4 dB at 24 weeks (P = 0.044). Mean visual acuity significantly improved from 48.67 +/- 8.58 to 60.72 +/- 16.09 (P = 0.026); visual acuity improved in 44.4% of patients > or =15 letters (24.5 +/- 8.0 letters), and in 38.9% of patients improved <15 letters (6.14 +/- 3.7 letters); 16.7% of patients lost <15 letters (7.3 +/- 2.1 letters). An improvement of fixation stability from baseline was observed in 33.3% of patients. Central macular thickness significantly decreased from 310.5 +/- 85.7 microm to 217.3 +/- 46.8 microm at 24 weeks (P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although visual acuity and retinal thickness changes seemed to be almost maximum at 4 weeks after intravitreal ranibizumab 0.5 mg, retinal sensitivity as measured by microperimetry showed a trend of progressive improvement till 24 weeks suggesting that microperimetry may give additional information about macular function not given by visual acuity alone.
authors.affiliation: Fondazione G.B. Bietti-IRCCS, Rome, Italy. criparra@tin.it
authors.forename: Mariacristina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Parravano
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Oddone
authors.forename: Massimiliano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tedeschi
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schiano Lomoriello
authors.forename: Adele
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chiaravalloti
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ripandelli
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Varano
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005654:Fundus Oculi; D006801:Humans; D007267:Injections; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D000069579:Ranibizumab; D012160:Retina / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015861:Retinal Neovascularization / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology*; D058609:Visual Field Tests / Q000379:methods*; D014794:Visual Fields / Q000502:physiology*; D014822:Vitreous Body
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D000069579:Ranibizumab