Anti-VEGF injections during glaucoma surgery may offer long-term benefits

Patients with neovascular glaucoma who received intravitreal bevacizumab during Ahmed glaucoma valve implantation and postoperatively demonstrated lower IOP and needed less additional medication to achieve IOP control in the long term, according to a poster presentation at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology meeting.

The improved IOP control and reduced medication use presented at 18 and 24 months postop but were not evident at earlier follow-ups, according to Enyr S. Arcieri, MD, and colleagues.

The multicenter, prospective, randomized clinical trial included 40 patients undergoing Ahmed glaucoma valve implantation who were divided into two groups; one group received 1.25 mg Avastin (bevacizumab, Genentech) intraoperatively and at 4 and 8 weeks postoperatively, while the control group did not receive bevacizumab.

Both groups showed similar short-term IOP decreases. However, at 18 months, IOP decreased in the bevacizumab group from 18.37 ± 1.06 mm Hg to 14.57 ± 1.72 mm Hg (P = .0002).

At 24-month follow-up, medication use among the bevacizumab group decreased, but the difference was not statistically significant.

Disclosure: The study authors have no relevant financial disclosures.