Posters

The effect of aflibercept on human corneal endothelial cells: A specular microscopic study

Poster Details

First Author: S.Doguizi TURKEY

Co Author(s):    M. Sekeroglu   M. Inanc   P. Yilmazbas                       

Abstract Details

Purpose:

To assess the effect of intravitreal injection of aflibercept on the corneal endothelium in patients with exudative age-related macular degeneration.

Setting:

Ulucanlar Eye Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey

Methods:

A total of 34 eyes from 34 (19 male, 15 female) consecutive patients with exudative age related macular degeneration received intravitreal injection of 2.0 mg intravitreal aflibercept were included in the study. All participants received one monthly intravitreal injection of (0.05 ml, 2.0 mg) aflibercept for three consecutive months and later injections were applied as needed. The follow-up period was 6 months. Specular microscopy, was performed on each patient for both eyes before injection and one month, three months, and six months after injection. The central corneal thickness, endothelial cell density, coefficient of variation of cell size and percentage of hexagonal cells of the treated eyes were used to assess corneal endothelial damage and the data was compared with those of untreated fellow eyes.

Results:

All patients completed six months of follow-up. There was no significant difference with regard to the central corneal thickness change between treated and untreated eyes before injection and one, three, six months after injection (p=0.55, p=0.37, p=0.25 and p=0.66 respectively). Also the study revealed that there was no significant difference between treated and untreated eyes before injection and at one, three, six months after injection in the corneal endothelial cell density (p=0.13, p=0.09, p=0.28 and p=0.07, respectively); coefficient of variation of cell size (p=0.41, p=0.52, p=0.21 and p=0.59, respectively); and percentage of hexagonal cells (p=0.92, p=0.51, p=0.71, and p=0.19, respectively).

Conclusions:

The intravitreal injection of 2.0 mg aflibercept seemed to have no harmful effect on the corneal endothelium.