Visual Results Following Intravitreal Bevacizumab in Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Objective: To determine the visual and anatomic outcome of intravitreal Bevacizumab injection in the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Study Design: Quasi-experimental study. Place and Duration of Study: Layton Rahmatulla Benevolent Trust Eye Hospital (LRBT), Lahore, from January to July 2010. Methodology: Patients who received, one or more intravitreal Bevacizumab injections (1.25 mg per 0.05 ml) for exudative AMD were included in the study. Outcome measures included standardized visual acuity, optical coherence tomography (OCT), macular thickness, intraocular pressure, and blood pressure at 24 or more weeks follow-up. Descriptive statistics were obtained. Results: Fifty eyes with exudative AMD were observed for six months. The mean VA improved from 0.21 +/- 0.11 before injections to 0.43 +/- 0.11 after injections at six months. Overall, mean OCT macular thickness decreased by 99 micron at last follow-up. At last follow-up, all eyes received an average of 3.28 +/- 0.85 injections. There was no incidence of severe vision loss or adverse effects like endophthalmitis or retinal detachment. Conclusion: Intravitreal Bevacizumab has the potential for improvement of vision in exudative AMD for at least 6 months.