Abstract
Purpose. To evaluate antiangiogenic effect of local use of bevacizumab (anti-VEGF antibody) in patients with corneal neovascularization. Methods. Patients were divided into two groups. All patients suffered from some form of corneal neovascularization (NV). Patients in group A received 0.2–0.5 mL of bevacizumab solution subconjunctivally (concentration 25 mg/mL) in a single dose. Group A included 28 eyes from 27. Patients in group B applied bevacizumab eye drops twice daily (concentration 2.5 mg/mL) for two weeks. Group B included 38 eyes from 35 patients. We evaluated the number of corneal segments affected by NV, CDVA, and the incidence of complications and subjective complaints related to the treatment. The minimum follow-up period was six months. Results. By the 6-month follow-up, in group A the percentage reduction of the affected peripheral segments was 21.6% and of the central segments was 9.6%; in group B the percentage reduction of the central segments was 22.7% and of the central segments was 38.04%. In both groups we noticed a statistically significant reduction in the extent of NV. Conclusion. The use of bevacizumab seems to be an effective and safe method in the treatment of corneal neovascularization, either in the subconjunctival or topical application form.
Highlights
Corneal transparency is determined by many factors including avascularity
We evaluated the number of corneal segments affected by NV, corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), and the incidence of complications and subjective complaints related to the treatment
The aim of this study was to evaluate the antiangiogenic effect of the subconjunctival and topical application of anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) antibody bevacizumab on several diseases related to corneal neovascularization
Summary
Corneal transparency is determined by many factors including avascularity. Since the year 1872, when Arnold demonstrated that the process of angiogenesis utilizes the striae of intracellular cement for neovascularization (NV) formation in the cornea [1], the results of new research examining the process of new vessel formation in the cornea have been published [2, 3]. Recent research has focused on understanding the mechanisms that keep the cornea avascular under homeostatic conditions and that provide an avascular healing process. These studies agree that corneal angiogenic privilege includes several active cascades and is not a passive process [4,5,6,7]. Corneal NV is the pathological ingrowth of vessels to the cornea from the limbal vascular plexus. This process is the result of the chronic reduction of oxygen in the cornea. Other reasons for the formation of pathological vessels in cornea are corneal infections, trauma, and immunological processes
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