The long‐term effect of intravitreal bevacizumab injection in central serous chorioretinopathy

Abstract

PurposeTo study the effect of intravitreal bevacizumab injection in patients with idiopathic central serous chorioretinopathy.MethodsWe had performed retrospective review on the patients who had been diagnosed as idiopathic central serous chorioretinopathy and had regular follow‐up for at least 12 months from the first injection, either undergone intravitreal bevacizumab injection (107 eyes of 100 patients) or observed without injection (46 eyes of 40 patients). Changes in the visual acuity and the serous neurosensory retinal and retinal pigment epithelium detachment were evaluated through the results of best corrected visual acuity and optical coherence tomography measured at initial presentation, after 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months of the first injection.Results87 males and 13 females with mean age of 45.4 ± 7.6 years were recruited in the intravitreal bevacizumab injection (IVB) group, and 34 males and 6 females with mean age of 47.2 ± 9.8 years were recruited in the observation group. There was significant difference in the mean duration of retinal detachment to disappear between the IVB group (2.5 ± 0.2 months) and the observation group (4.3 ± 0.7 months). There was no significant difference in the best corrected visual acuity and the central macular thickness after 12 months follow‐up between the IVB group and the observation group.ConclusionsIntravitreal bevacizumab injection was more effective and faster treatment for resolution of sensory retinal detachment than observation during the 12 months of consecutive follow‐up. Therefore, intravitreal bevacizumab injection can be considered as a significant and safe treatment modality for central serous chorioretinopathy when the patients need prompt visual improvement, such as depending on the morbid eye or requiring binocular vision for occupational cause.