{"title":"Loading phase outcomes of intravitreal aflibercept 8 mg for treatment-naïve neovascular age-related macular degeneration.","authors":"Hidetaka Matsumoto, Junki Hoshino, Saki Numaga, Yosuke Asatori, Hideo Akiyama","doi":"10.1007/s10384-025-01229-9","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>To investigate the efficacy and safety of loading phase treatment with 3 monthly intravitreal injections of aflibercept 8 mg for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD).</p><p><strong>Study design: </strong>Retrospective, interventional case series.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We retrospectively analyzed 83 consecutive eyes of 80 patients with treatment-naïve nAMD who received 3 monthly injections of aflibercept 8 mg as a loading phase treatment. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), foveal thickness, central choroidal thickness (CCT), and dry macula achievement were all assessed every 4 weeks. Moreover, polypoidal lesion regression was evaluated after the loading phase.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Seventy eyes (84.3%) of 67 patients completed the 3 monthly injections of aflibercept 8 mg. In these cases, BCVA was 0.33±0.45 at baseline and showed significant improvement to 0.22±0.38 at week 12 (P<0.01). Foveal thickness was 313±135µm at baseline, decreasing significantly to 171±76µm at week 12 (P<0.01). CCT was 193±98µm at baseline, decreasing significantly to 160±85µm at week 12 (P<0.01). Dry macula had been achieved in 58 (82.9%) of 70 eyes at week 12. Indocyanine green angiography after the loading phase revealed complete polypoidal lesion regression in 16 of 22 eyes (72.7%) with polypoidal lesions. Among the 13 eyes (15.7%) not completing the loading phase treatment, 9 (10.8%) developed non-infectious intraocular inflammation (IOI) associated with retinal vasculitis and aflibercept 8 mg administration was thus discontinued.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Loading phase treatment with intravitreal aflibercept 8 mg appears to be effective for improving visual acuity and ameliorating exudative changes in eyes with nAMD. However, careful monitoring is required due to the potential development of IOI associated with retinal vasculitis.</p>","PeriodicalId":14563,"journal":{"name":"Japanese Journal of Ophthalmology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9000,"publicationDate":"2025-07-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Japanese Journal of Ophthalmology","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10384-025-01229-9","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"OPHTHALMOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Purpose: To investigate the efficacy and safety of loading phase treatment with 3 monthly intravitreal injections of aflibercept 8 mg for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD).
Study design: Retrospective, interventional case series.
Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 83 consecutive eyes of 80 patients with treatment-naïve nAMD who received 3 monthly injections of aflibercept 8 mg as a loading phase treatment. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), foveal thickness, central choroidal thickness (CCT), and dry macula achievement were all assessed every 4 weeks. Moreover, polypoidal lesion regression was evaluated after the loading phase.
Results: Seventy eyes (84.3%) of 67 patients completed the 3 monthly injections of aflibercept 8 mg. In these cases, BCVA was 0.33±0.45 at baseline and showed significant improvement to 0.22±0.38 at week 12 (P<0.01). Foveal thickness was 313±135µm at baseline, decreasing significantly to 171±76µm at week 12 (P<0.01). CCT was 193±98µm at baseline, decreasing significantly to 160±85µm at week 12 (P<0.01). Dry macula had been achieved in 58 (82.9%) of 70 eyes at week 12. Indocyanine green angiography after the loading phase revealed complete polypoidal lesion regression in 16 of 22 eyes (72.7%) with polypoidal lesions. Among the 13 eyes (15.7%) not completing the loading phase treatment, 9 (10.8%) developed non-infectious intraocular inflammation (IOI) associated with retinal vasculitis and aflibercept 8 mg administration was thus discontinued.
Conclusions: Loading phase treatment with intravitreal aflibercept 8 mg appears to be effective for improving visual acuity and ameliorating exudative changes in eyes with nAMD. However, careful monitoring is required due to the potential development of IOI associated with retinal vasculitis.
期刊介绍:
The Japanese Journal of Ophthalmology (JJO) was inaugurated in 1957 as a quarterly journal published in English by the Ophthalmology Department of the University of Tokyo, with the aim of disseminating the achievements of Japanese ophthalmologists worldwide. JJO remains the only Japanese ophthalmology journal published in English. In 1997, the Japanese Ophthalmological Society assumed the responsibility for publishing the Japanese Journal of Ophthalmology as its official English-language publication.
Currently the journal is published bimonthly and accepts papers from authors worldwide. JJO has become an international interdisciplinary forum for the publication of basic science and clinical research papers.