Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness Changes in Patients with Age-Related Macular Degeneration Treated with Intravitreal Ranibizumab

PURPOSE. To assess the effects of intravitreal ranibizumab therapy on intraocular pressure (IOP) and retinal nerve fiber (RNFL) thickness. METHODS. Forty-nine eyes of 49 patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) treated with intravitreal ranibizumab injections and 27 fellow eyes not requiring treatment were followed for 1 year. RNFL thickness, as measured by Fourier domain optical coherence tomography, and IOP were determined pre- and postinjection. RESULTS. After 12 months, the mean number of injections received was 4.8 +/- 1.6. The incidence of IOP elevations (>5 mm Hg over baseline) observed at the time of injection was 0.4%. Baseline RNFL thickness was 105.7 +/- 12.2 mu m in the treatment group compared with 101.8 +/- 11.6 mu m in the control group (P=0.176). At the end of follow-up, significant RNFL thinning was noted in the treatment group (100.2 +/- 11.0 mu m, P < 0.001), whereas no differences were found in the control group (100.5 +/- 10.8 mu m, P=0.477). CONCLUSIONS. Intravitreal ranibizumab injections used to treat AMD caused a significant change in RNFL thickness after 12 months of follow-up. (Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2012;53:6214-6218) DOI: 10.1167/iovs.12-9875