Effect of Anti–Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Therapy on Corneal Nerves

Purpose: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a trophic factor for corneal nerves (CNs). Despite its widespread use to treat a variety of retinal diseases, the effect of repetitive intravitreal (IV) anti-VEGF injections on CN is not known. Methods: Retrospective case–control study. CN parameters were compared between eyes in 39 individuals who received anti-VEGF injections in one eye only. Next, we compared CN parameters between 50 eyes of 50 individuals with a history of IV anti-VEGF injections and 80 eyes of 80 individuals without a history of injection. In vivo confocal microscopic examination was conducted using the ConfoScan 4. Images were analyzed by the Corneal Nerve Analysis tool. Paired and independent t test methodologies were used to compare nerve parameters, and multivariable linear regression analysis was performed to control for potential confounders. Results: In 39 patients (own controls), eyes with a history of IV injection had lower CN length density, total length, nerve fibers, bifurcations, and branches (P
Source: Cornea - Category: Opthalmology Tags: Clinical Science Source Type: research