Prognosis and Disorganization of Retinal Inner Layers in Central Retinal Vein Occlusion with Dexamethasone Implantation

PURPOSE: To examine whether disorganization of retinal inner layers (DRILs) at baseline and after treatment was associated with visual acuity in patients with macular edema secondary to central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) who were treated with intravitreal dexamethasone implants. METHODS: A retrospective review of records of 22 patients with treatment-naive CRVO with centrally involved macular edema treated with intravitreal dexamethasone implants. Spectral domain-optical coherence tomography images were obtained during each visit. The DRIL extent and additional parameters were evaluated in a 2,000 µm-wide foveal centered area. RESULTS: In the 22 patients (74.5 ± 8.92 years), baseline DRIL was observed in 21 eyes (94.5%). Using univariate analysis, baseline best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was significantly associated with the extent of baseline DRIL (p = 0.005, r = −0.58), and the extent of external limiting membrane disruption and ellipsoid zone (p = 0.015, r = −0.51; p = 0.011, r = −0.533, respectively). The final BCVA was significantly correlated with the baseline BCVA (p < 0.001, r = 0.74) and extent of DRIL (p = 0.04, r = −0.35). Changes in the BCVA were correlated with changes of DRIL between baseline and the final visit (p = 0.041, r = 0.439). CONCLUSIONS: The extents of baseline DRIL and DRIL changes after treatment with intravitreal dexamethasone implants for macular edema secondary to CRVO may be useful parameter for visual acuity improvement.

Baseline morphological characteristics as predictors of final visual acuity in patients with branch retinal vein occlusions: MARVEL report no. 3

Purpose: To determine the predictive values of baseline optical coherence tomography (OCT) abnormalities on 12-month visual acuity changes in eyes with macular edema (ME) caused by branch retinal vein occlusions (BRVO). Methods: We performed a post hoc analysis of data from 75 participants in the 12-month MARVEL trial. OCT abnormalities at baseline, including ganglion cell layer cystoid spaces (GCL), intraretinal hyper-reflective dots, and central subfield thickness (CST), were correlated with improvements in visual acuity and the number of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor injections required using a multivariate regression model. Results: Eyes with baseline CST > 500 ?m had greater visual gains compared to those with CST <500 ?m (+21.09 vs +16.08 letters, P = 0.04). Eyes with hyper-reflective dots (+13.97 vs +19.93 letters, P = 0.02), and GCL cysts (+9.8 vs +18.9, P = 0.003) had inferior gains in visual acuity. Neurosensory macular detachments at the baseline did not affect gains in visual acuity. Ninety percent of the gain in visual acuity was recorded after two injections and was maintained until month 12. Conclusion: Baseline OCT of <500 ?m, hyper-reflective dots, and GCL cystoid spaces are associated with poorer gains in visual acuity. Most of the visual gain occurs after two injections.