The Effect of Ranibizumab and Dexamethasone Implant Treatment on Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness in Eyes with Branch Retinal Vein Occlusion

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the effects of intravitreal ranibizumab and dexamethasone implant treatments on the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness in patients with branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO). Materials and Methods: Fifty-three patients with macular edema secondary to BRVO were enrolled in this retrospective study. These studygroup patients were divided into two groups. Group 1 consisted of 29 patients treated with intravitreal ranibizumab, and Group 2 consisted of 24 patients treated with intravitreal dexamethasone implants. The control group was the 53 normal fellow eyes of these patients. Peripapillary RNFL thickness was evaluated by using optical coherence tomography at baseline and during 12 months after treatment in both groups. Also, the RNFL thickness of the affected area in eyes with BRVO was compared with those of the normal fellow eyes. Results: The average, superior-temporal and inferior-temporal quadrant peripapillary RNFL thicknesses in eyes with BRVO were significantly decreased at 12 months after treatment in two groups. The RNFL thicknesses in the affected areas in Group 1 and Group 2 were significantly thinner than that of the control fellow eyes at 12 months (p=0.04 and p=0.02, respectively). Also, there was no significant difference in terms of RNFL thickness in the affected area between the groups at six and 12 months (p=0.808, p=0.356, respectively). Conclusion: Our study revealed that the average, superior-temporal and inferior-temporal RNFL thickness in the eyes of BRVO was reduced at 12 months. We suggest that RNFL thinning is due to the natural course of the disease in BRVO. Key words: Ranibizumab, branch retinal vein occlusion, Dexamethasone implant, retinal nerve fiber layer.