Bilateral concomitant intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor injection: Experience in a Nigerian tertiary private eye care facility.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the indication and safety profile of same-session bilateral intravitreal injection of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF).

METHODS: This is a retrospective case series of all the patients that received same-session bilateral intravitreal anti-VEGF in Eye Foundation Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos, from March 2013 to March 2015. Data retrieved from the patients' medical records includes demographics, indications for injections, complications, and systemic comorbidities.

RESULTS: During the study period, a total of 442 injections were performed on 126 eyes of 63 patients (M:F ratio; 1.4:1) whose mean age was 55.7 ± 15.6 standard deviation years. The modal age group was 51-70 years. All the patients received injection Bevacizumab (Avastin; Genentech Inc., South San Francisco, California, USA-1.25 mg). The most common primary indication for initiating bilateral intravitreal therapy was diabetic macular edema 23 (36.5%). Mean follow-up period was 40.6 days (range: 1-364 days). A combined diabetes mellitus and hypertension accounted for most of the systemic comorbidities 28 (44.4%). Subconjunctival hemorrhage was the only complication seen in these patients with 6 (9.5%) occurring intraoperatively and 9 (14.3%) postoperatively. There was no association between intraoperative complication and age (P = 0.66) or gender (P = 0.96). Furthermore, there exist no association between postoperative complication and age (P = 0.49) or gender (P = 0.99).

CONCLUSIONS: No major systemic or ocular adverse events were noted. Given that there are potentially serious complications following anti-VEGF injection, further study with a larger number of patients will be necessary to definitively prove the safety of this treatment modality.