Therapy Individualization – Does it Influence the Efficacy of Ranibizumab Treatment in Neovascular Age-related Macular Degeneration?

Wydanie specjalne czerw 2018
str. 8 – 10

Autor: Katarzyna Mozolewska-Piotrowska

I Katedra i Klinika Okulistyki Pomorskiego Uniwersytetu Medycznego w Szczecinie
Kierownik kliniki: prof. dr hab. n. med. Anna Machalińska

Summary: Intravitreal anti-VEGF therapy with ranibizumab is the first line treatment for neovascular age-related macular degeneration. It is a life long therapy and involves mostly elderly patients, thus increasing the risk of serious arteriothrombotic adverse events. Aim of this paper is to establish, on the basis of published scientific trials, whether individualized treatment regimen (pro re nata – as needed), allowing lower number of ranibizumab injections, has to result with worse clinical outcomes.

Results and Conclusions: Individualization of age-related macular degeneration treatment with ranibizumab according to pro re nata regimen in patients with age-related macular degeneration, allows decrease in the number of ranibizumab injections and by that reduce the risk rate of local or general adverse events. This individual treatment regimen should not worsen the future visual outcomes only when implemented according to very strict procedures: 1. 3 consecutive monthly injections as a loading dose, before PRN treatment, 2. regular follow-up examination every 4 weeks with optical coherence tomography, visual acuity examination and fundus ophthalmoscopy, as well as angio-optical coherence tomography, 3. patients education in selfexamination, 4. anti-VEGF injection at the moment of active choroidal neovascularization diagnosis (the same day).