Relationship between refractive outcomes and quantitative retinal vascularization and severity of plus disease in eyes treated with intravitreal bevacizumab.

PURPOSE: The study aimed to investigate the relationship between refractive outcomes with the extent of retinal vascularization and severity of the plus disease in infants treated with intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB).

METHODS

Pre-IVB fundus images (PFIs), final fundus images (FFIs), and refractive outcomes of the 93 infants who underwent IVB monotherapy for type 1 and aggressive retinopathy of prematurity (A-ROP) were retrospectively evaluated. Quantitative measurements were performed on PFIs and FFIs. Pre-IVB plus severity was scored on a five-leveled scale. Correlation between spherical equivalent (SE) with pre-treatment and final extent of the temporal retinal vascularization and pre-treatment severity of plus disease was analyzed.

RESULTS

There was a linear and low positive correlation between the extent of pre-IVB and final temporal retinal vascularization with final SE (p = 0.000, r = 0.267; P = 0.002, r = 0.274, respectively). There was a low negative correlation between the pre-IVB plus severity score with final SE (p = 0.012, r = -0.192). Gestational age (GA), birth weight (BW), IVB dose, presence of additional IVB, or laser treatments were not correlated with refractive outcome. Out of 171 eyes, 38 eyes had >1 D myopia. In the univariate logistic analyses, pre-IVB retinal zone and pre-IVB and final extent of the temporal retinal vascularization were found to be related to the development of >1 D myopia (p = 0.002, odds ratio (OR) = 0.298; P = 0.000, OR = 0.281; P = 0.001, OR = 0.317; respectively).

CONCLUSION

Our study indicates that the pre-treatment and final extent of retinal vascularization were the main parameters that were related to final refractive outcomes in IVB-treated eyes for type 1 and A-ROP.