Aflibercept for macular edema after branch retinal vein occlusion

Purpose The aim was to evaluate the real-world results of aflibercept in the treatment of macular edema due to branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) without prior treatment.Patients and methods The study included patients with treatment-naive symptomatic BRVO causing macular edema with a best corrected visual acuity (VA) of 0.1 or better, central macular thickness (CMT) of more than 300 μm, and a duration less of than 6 months. Patients received intravitreal 2.0 mg of aflibercept. Follow-up examinations were performed monthly after the first injection for at least 6 months. At each visit, complete examination and optical coherence tomography scans were performed with recording of the best corrected VA and CMT on optical coherence tomography. At the monthly follow-up visits, additional Aflibercept injections were given as needed (pro-re-nata) when intraretinal/subretinal fluid was still present.Results A total of 25 patients were included in the study. Their age ranged from 42 to 75 years with a mean of 61.12±8.34 years. There were 16 men and nine women. Duration of vein occlusion ranged from 10 to 50 days with a mean of 21.8±12.29 days. Baseline logarithm of the minimal angle of resolution VA mean was 0.790±0.16. It improved at the 6-month follow-up visit to 0.244±0.22, which was statistically significant (P=0.001). Baseline CMT mean was 538.84±186.96 µm. It improved at the end of follow-up to 284.680±68.22 µm, which was statistically significant (P=0.001).Conclusion Aflibercept given with pro-re-nata regimen was safe and effective in the treatment of macular edema after BRVO.