Factors influencing the exudation recurrence after cataract surgery in patients previously treated with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor for exudative age-related macular degeneration.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate factors influencing exudation recurrence following cataract surgery in patients already treated with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agents for exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD).


METHODS
A retrospective review of medical records was performed for patients who underwent cataract surgery and had been previously treated with anti-VEGF for exudative AMD. Visual acuity was examined before surgery and 1 and 6 months after surgery. The time between diagnosis and surgery, and the exudation-free period before surgery were examined and compared between patients who had exudation recurrence and those that did not.


RESULTS
Thirty-nine eyes of 39 patients were included in analyses. The logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution visual acuity was 1.02 ± 0.58 and had significantly improved 1 month (0.81 ± 0.62, P < 0.001) and 6 months (0.85 ± 0.64, P = 0.001) following surgery. Both the diagnosis-to-surgery period (P = 0.001) and the preoperative exudation-free period (P < 0.001) were significantly longer in patients without recurrence than in patients with recurrence.


CONCLUSIONS
Cataract surgery was beneficial in patients previously treated with anti-VEGF for exudative AMD. Our data suggests that cataract surgery should be performed after a sufficiently long exudation-free period to minimize exudation recurrence. But larger prospective studies are required to draw definitive clinical guidelines.
Department of Ophthalmology, Kim's Eye Hospital, Konyang University College of Medicine, #156 Youngdeungpo-dong 4ga, Youngdeungpo-gu, Seoul, 150-034, South Korea.
Tae Gon
TG
Lee
Jae Hui
JH
Kim
Young Suk
YS
Chang
Chul Gu
CG
Kim
Jong Woo
JW
Kim
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000068258:Bevacizumab; D004396:Coloring Agents; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D006801:Humans; D007208:Indocyanine Green; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018918:Phacoemulsification; D000069579:Ranibizumab; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D058471:Subretinal Fluid; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology; D057135:Wet Macular Degeneration / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy*
D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D004396:Coloring Agents; C467484:VEGFA protein, human; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D000068258:Bevacizumab; D007208:Indocyanine Green; D000069579:Ranibizumab