Treatment Outcomes of Intravitreal Aflibercept for Uveitic Macular Edema

ABSTRACT

Background/Aims

To evaluate the efficacy of intravitreal aflibercept for UME (uveitic macular).

Methods

A retrospective review of records of patients that received aflibercept for UME from January 2017 to August 2022 was conducted. The primary outcomes were mean change in visual acuity (VA) and central subfield thickness (CST) 6 and 12 months from the start of aflibercept treatment.

Results

A total of 16 eyes of 12 patients were included. Indications for treatment included eyes that had previously demonstrated a history of elevated intraocular pressure secondary to a steroid response (n = 10) or a history of non-response or partial response to local corticosteroids (n = 6). Fifteen eyes (94%) demonstrated a reduction in CST after their initial injection. At 6-months, mean VA gain was 2.6 ± 7.7 letters (p = 0.24) from a mean VA of 67.8 ± 10.7 letters at baseline and mean CST improved by 97.6 ± 113.5 μm (p = 0.004) from 458.6 ± 123.1 μm at baseline. Fourteen eyes had 12-months of follow up and received a median of 4 injections over 12 visits. The mean VA at 12-months remained stable compared to baseline (mean change of −1.4 ± 12.5 letters (p = 0.87)) while the CST improved by a mean of 90.9 ± 114.6 μm (p = 0.053) compared to baseline.

Conclusion

Intravitreal aflibercept injections resulted in reduced central subfield thickness at all time-points. It appears to be an effective treatment alternative for UME, particularly for patients who are not responsive to local corticosteroids or who have contraindications to corticosteroid treatment.

KEYWORDS:

• Aflibercept
• cystoid macular edema
• treatment
• uveitic macular edema
• uveitis

Disclosure statement

H. Nida Sen is an employee of Janssen Research and Development, Johnson and Johnson. The remaining authors report that there are no conflicts of interests to declare.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author, S.K. The data are not publicly available as it includes potentially identifiable patient health information.

Additional information

Funding

National Eye Institute Intramural Research Program and the NIH Medical Research Scholars Program (a public-private partnership supported jointly by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and contributions to the Foundation for the NIH from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the American Association for Dental Research, and the Colgate-Palmolive Company).