Influence of the Vitreoretinal Interface on the Treatment with Anti-VEGF for Exudative Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Purpose: To investigate the influence of the vitreoretinal interface on the outcomes of different ranibizumab regimens for exudative age-related macular degeneration. Methods: We conducted a retrospective subanalysis of 2 prospective clinical trials. Patients were treated with ranibizumab for 12 months according to 3 different regimens: pro-re-nata (PRN), treat and extend (TE p = 0.007). A significant difference in letters of improvement between groups was observed in the PRN cohort (ON: –5.0 ± 12.9; OFF: 11.4 ± 11.9; p = 0.003), but not in the cohorts with monthly (ON: 5.7 ± 7.8; OFF: 7.9 ± 15.2; p = 0.735) or TE OFF: 7.8 ± 11.1; p = 0.424) treatment. Conclusion: The negative impact of absence of PVD is regimen dependent, with monthly dosing providing similar outcomes to PVD patients. In the absence of PVD (group ON), PRN should be avoided, and T&E might be an alternative.