Intravitreal ranibizumab for the treatment of pathological myopia associated with choroidal neovascularization in Chinese patients

Background Pathological myopia (PM) is the leading cause for choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in people below 50 years of age, the anti-vascular endothlial growth factor (VEGF) medicine is now available to treat CNV secondary to PM. This study aimed to observe the efficacy of intravitreal ranibizumab for PM associated with subfoveal or juxtafoveal CNV in Chinese patients. Methods Fifty-four eyes of 52 consecutive patients were included, they treated with intravitreal ranibizumab 0.5 mg for PM associated with CNV. The best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of Snellen chart, letters of ETDRS chart, retinal thickness, leakage of CNV lesion, and complications with surgery were analyzed pre- and post-treatment. Eligibility criteria included diopter ≥-8.0 D or eye axis ≥28 mm with fundus changes of PM (lacquer crack, optic disc atrophy, chorioretinal atrophy, posterior scleral staphyloma); CNV secondary to PM; subfoveal or juxtafoveal CNV. Results For 54 affected eyes of 52 consecutive patients, the average BCVA of Snellen chart and letters of ETDRS chart were 0.29 and 30.4, respectively; fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA)/indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) showed CNV leakage, and average retinal thickness on optical coherence tomography (OCT) was 267.2 μm before treatment. Injections of ranibizumab ranged from 1 to 4 (mean 2.2). Follow-up time varied from 12 to 36 months (mean 31.9 months). At the last visit, the BCVA of Snellen chart was increased by three lines (mean 0.65) ( P <0.01); the letters of ETDRS chart were increased to 17.0 letters (mean 47.4, P <0.01); the visual acuity increased more than 15 letters in 30 eyes (55.5%), decreased in 1 eye (1.9%); the retinal thickness on OCT images was decreased by 17.0 μm (mean 250.2 μm) ( P =0.082); no active leakage from the CNV lesion occurred in 18 eyes (33.3%), reduced leakage in 30 eyes (55.6%), and no change in 6 eyes (11.1%) as shown by FFA/ICGA. Increased retinoschisis was observed in one eye after the second injection. Conclusions Intravitreal ranibizumab for neovascular PM was well tolerated in Chinese patients, with functional and anatomic improvements in a short-term study, while a long-term study is still needed.