Intravitreous bevacizumab treatment for macular edema due to central retinal vein occlusion

Purpose: To investigate the visual and anatomical effects of intravitreal bevacizumab treatment of macular edema due to central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO). Methods: Data were collected by medical chart review for 35 consecutive patients (35 eyes) with CRVO-induced macular edema treated with intravitreal bevacizumab in 20072010 and followed for at least 6 months. All patients received 34 loading doses (1.25 mg) with follow-up every 68 weeks and repeated injections as necessary. Results: Mean patient age was 65.5 years (SD 13.5); mean follow-up time, 17.7 months (SD 10.8); mean number of injections, 9.3 (SD 5). Mean logMAR visual acuity (VA) improved from 0.9 (SD 0.49) at baseline to 0.7 (SD 0.5) at the last visit; corresponding Snellen values were 6/98 and 6/15 (p = 0.009). Four patients (11%) lost ≥3 lines, and 13 patients (37%) gained ≥3 lines. There was a positive correlation between initial and final VA (p < 0.0005). Central macular thickness (CMT) measured 489.5 microns (SD 175) at baseline and 395 microns (SD 223) at the last visit (p = 0.24). VA gain was positively correlated with CMT reduction (p < 0.0001). Conclusions: Intravitreal bevacizumab treatment of CRVO-induced macular edema improves vision, especially in patients with good initial VA.