Treatment of senile macular degeneration complicated by choroidal neovascularization with ranibizumab

Objective To observe the short-term therapeutic effect of ranibizumab（Lucentis） on senile macular degeneration（MD）complicated by choroidal neovascularization（CNV）.Methods A definite diagnosis of exudative senile MD was made in 30 cases by fundus fluorescein angiography（FFA）,indocyanine geen angiography（ICGA） and optic coherence tomography（OCT）.Exudative senile MD was treated 3 times with Lucentis by cavum vitreum injection at a dose of 0.5mg（0.05ml）,once a month.Clinical data were collected 1 week,1 and 3 months before and after treatment.Acuity of vision,intraocular pressue,and findings in FFA,ICGA and OCT were used as parameters of the short-term effect of Lucentis on exudative senile MD.Results The acuity of vision became stable in 19（63.3%）and improved in 11（36.7%） out of the 30 cases 1 month after treatment,and became stable in 16（55.2%） and improved in 13（44.8%） out of the 30 cases 3 months after treatment.The intraocular pressure was elevated over 20mmHg and reached its peak of 23.8mmHg in 4 out of the 30 cases 1h after treatment,and maintained normal for 1 day and 1 month,respectively after treatment.FFA and ICGA showed that the exudates were decreased or resolved at different extents.OCT displayed that retinal edema and serous detachment were significantly improved after treatment,with no obvious adverse effects except for mild localized conjunctival congestion,subconjunctival hemorrhage,small umbra in visual field,and slightly increased intraocular pressure,which could recover in less than 5 days after treatment.Treatment was terminated in 1 case because of cerebral infarction.Conclusion Injection of Lucentis into vitreous cavity is a safe and effective modality for exudative senile MD.