Retinal functional changes measured by microperimetry in neovascular age-related macular degeneration patients treated with ranibizumab.
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.
Parravano
Mariacristina
M
Fondazione G.B. Bietti-IRCCS, Rome, Italy. criparra@tin.it
Oddone
Francesco
F
Tedeschi
Massimiliano
M
Schiano Lomoriello
Domenico
D
Chiaravalloti
Adele
A
Ripandelli
Guido
G
Varano
Monica
M
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
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D000069579:Ranibizumab