Intravitreal bevacizumab therapy for idiopathic macular telangiectasia.

PURPOSE: To investigate the efficacy of intravitreal bevacizumab for the treatment of idiopathic macular telangiectasia (IMT).

METHODS

Ten eyes of eight consecutive patients with IMT were studied. Four eyes had type 1, and six had type 2 IMT according to Yannuzzi's classification. All patients were treated with intravitreal bevacizumab (1.25 mg) injections at baseline. Monthly fundus and optical coherence tomography (OCT) examinations were performed. Changes in visual acuity, macular edema on OCT, and leakage on fluorescein angiography were analyzed during 6 months of follow-up. Retreatment was considered when increased macular edema and either fluorescein leakage or visual loss were identified.

RESULTS

There were no changes in the mean visual acuity in either eye in any of the patients. In one of the four eyes with type 1 IMT, the microaneurysms disappeared after bevacizumab treatment. However, there were no changes in the other three eyes. Fluorescein leakage disappeared in four, decreased in one, and was unchanged in one of the eyes with type 2 IMT. An inner lamellar cyst in each eye was unchanged in two, newly formed in one, and expanded in one eye with type 2 IMT.

CONCLUSION

Type 2 IMT improved anatomically with bevacizumab treatment despite a lack of improvement in vision. Bevacizumab effectively decreases vascular permeability and retinal edema in the short term.