Residual subretinal fluid linked with better visual acuity after anti-VEGF treatment
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Subretinal fluid left over after anti-VEGF treatment may be associated with better best corrected visual acuity, according to a study.
“Our meta-analysis sought to explore the association between subretinal or intraretinal fluid and best corrected visual acuity in neovascular age-related macular degeneration patients undergoing anti-VEGF therapy,” Peter J. Kertes, MD, told Healio/OSN.
Kertes and colleagues searched the literature for studies that reported on visual acuity stratified by the presence of any residual subretinal fluid (SRF), intraretinal fluid (IRF) or any retinal fluid at last study observation after treatment with bevacizumab, ranibizumab, aflibercept or brolucizumab.
The analysis included 11 studies, of which six were randomized controlled trials, comprising 3,092 eyes.
Across all studies, eyes with residual SRF had better BCVA than eyes without SRF (P = .05). However, in the randomized controlled trials, the BCVA was similar.
Eyes with residual IRF had worse BCVA compared with eyes without IRF (P < .001).
“We found that the best corrected visual acuity in eyes with residual SRF was slightly better than eyes without SRF, but these findings were driven in large part by one study,” Kertes said. “While these findings support tolerance of residual SRF when treating [neovascular] AMD, future clinical trials would be needed to confirm the association of residual SRF on BCVA outcomes. “