Clinical efficacy of anti-VEGF medications for central serous chorioretinopathy: a meta-analysis

Background Central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) is a widespread retinal disorder, and 30-50% of patients eventually result in retinal pigment epithelium atrophy and irreversible vision loss. Aim of the review To evaluate the effectiveness of medications based on anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) on central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC). Method A systematic search on anti-VEGF medication treatments for CSC was performed in Pubmed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library prior to May 2016. The main outcome variables were best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central macular thickness (CMT). All effects were analyzed via Review Manager 5.3. Results Fourteen studies were incorporated with a total of 266 eyes, divided into a comparative group and a non-comparative group. The comparative group included acute and chronic CSC studies, while the non-comparative group included chronic CSC only. Meta-analysis revealed that for acute CSC, anti-VEGF treatment was not superior to observation at a 6-month follow-up in BCVA and CMT. For chronic CSC in the comparative group, no significant difference was observed between anti-VEGF treatment and observation in BCVA; however, the observed difference in CMT (WMD = -67.78, 95% CI 20.17-115.38) was statistically significant. In the non-comparative group, significant differences were observed after anti-VEGF treatment in BCVA and CMT at 1, 6, and 12 months follow-ups. Conclusion Our meta-analysis partially indicated that anti-VEGF medications might be a viable choice for the treatment of chronic CSC; however, due to the self-limiting nature of CSC, care should be applied in the clinical application of anti-VEGF medications.