Purpose
This study aimed to assess the short-term changes of macular microstructures following anti-VEGF and anti-inflammatory therapies in patients with macular edema secondary to retinal vein occlusion (RVO-ME).
Patients and Methods
In this retrospective study, 70 eyes of 70 patients with RVO-ME were divided into the anti-VEGF (Group A, 35 eyes) and anti-inflammatory (Group B, 35 eyes) treatment groups. All patients underwent best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) assessment, intraocular pressure (IOP) assessment, slit lamp, fundus fluorescein angiography (FA), scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (SLO), and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Group A received intravitreal injection of 0.05 mL anti-VEGF antibodies (Lucentis
®
or Aflibercept
®
) monthly for 3 consecutive months, while Group B received 0.7 mg dexamethasone (Ozurdex
®
) single intravitreal injection. BCVA and SD-OCT biomarkers were recorded at baseline and 3 months after the first injection. Changes of BCVA and SD-OCT biomarkers following these treatments were compared between the two groups.
Results
BCVA and SD-OCT biomarkers, except choroidal thickness, in both groups were significantly improved after treatment (all
P
< 0.01). At 3 months, the height of serous retinal detachment (SRD) was markedly lower (
P
= 0.006), with significantly less hyperreflective dots (HRD,
P
= 0.037) in Group B compared with Group A. Other SD-OCT biomarkers and BCVA were not significantly different between the two groups (all
P
> 0.05).
Conclusion
Anti-VEGF and anti-inflammatory therapies are both effective in RVO-ME, with improvement in BCVA and SD-OCT biomarkers. Anti-inflammatory therapy may be more effective than anti-VEGF therapy in SRD and HRD resolution.