Myopic choroidal neovascularisation: current concepts and update on clinical management

Minimizing projection artifacts for accurate presentation of choroidal neovascularization in OCT micro-angiography

Current optical coherence tomography (OCT) based micro-angiography is prone to a projection (or tailing) effect due to the high scattering property of blood within overlying patent vessels, creating artifacts that interfere with the interpretation of retinal angiographic results. In this work, the projection effect in OCT micro-angiography is examined and its causality is explained by strong light scattering and photon propagation within blood. A simple practical approach is then introduced to minimize these artifacts presented in the outer retinal avascular space, especially useful for examining clinical cases with choroidal neovascularization (CNV). Demonstrated through in-vivo human posterior eye imaging of healthy and CNV subjects, the proposed method is shown effective to eliminate the projection artifacts in outer retinal space of OCT micro-angiography, resulting in better visualization of the pathological neovascularization when compared with the current common approaches. In addition, it is also shown that the proposed method is applicable to minimize the projection artifacts appearing in deep retinal layers.

Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor indications in ocular disease

The purpose of this systemic review was to investigate the indications of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) in the treatment of ocular diseases. For this, a comprehensive literature research was performed exploring the current use of anti-VEGF in a variety of retinal or anterior segment diseases and highlighting the visual outcome for these patients. The anti-VEGF therapy is now commonly used for a wide range of pathologies like age-related macular degeneration, retinal vein occlusion or diabetic retinopathy. Pathological processes such as abnormal neovascularization, ocular angiogenesis and macular edema which can greatly reduce visual acuity are now targeted by anti-VEGF treatment, having a major impact on vision.

Anti-VEGF Therapy and the Retina: An Update

Ocular angiogenesis and macular oedema are major causes of sight loss across the world. Aberrant neovascularisation, which may arise secondary to numerous disease processes, can result in reduced vision as a result of oedema, haemorrhage, and scarring. The development of antivascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) agents has revolutionised the treatment of retinal vasogenic conditions. These drugs are now commonly employed for the treatment of a plethora of ocular pathologies including choroidal neovascularisation, diabetic macular oedema, and retinal vein occlusion to name a few. In this paper, we will explore the current use of anti-VEGF in a variety of retinal diseases and the impact that these medications have had on visual outcome for patients.

Anti-VEGF treatment for myopic choroid neovascularization: from molecular characterization to update on clinical application

Choroidal neovascularization (CNV) secondary to pathologic myopia has a very high incidence in global, especially in Asian, populations. It is a common cause of irreversible central vision loss, and severely affects the quality of life in the patients with pathologic myopia. The traditional therapeutic modalities for CNV secondary to pathologic myopia include thermal laser photocoagulation, surgical management, transpupillary thermotherapy, and photodynamic therapy with verteporfin. However, the long-term outcomes of these modalities are disappointing. Recently, intravitreal administration of anti-VEGF biological agents, including bevacizumab, ranibizumab, pegaptanib, aflibercept, and conbercept, has demonstrated promising outcomes for this ocular disease. The anti-VEGF regimens are more effective on improving visual acuity, reducing central fundus thickness and central retina thickness than the traditional modalities. These anti-VEGF agents thus hold the potential to become the first-line medicine for treatment of CNV secondary to pathologic myopia. This review follows the trend of “from bench to bedside”, initially discussing the pathogenesis of myopic CNV, delineating the molecular structures and mechanisms of action of the currently available anti-VEGF drugs, and then systematically comparing the up to date clinical applications as well as the efficacy and safety of the anti-VEGF drugs to the CNV secondary to pathologic myopia.

Current and emerging treatment options for myopic choroidal neovascularization

Choroidal neovascularization (CNV) is the main cause of visual impairment in highly myopic patients younger than 50 years of age. There are different treatments for myopic CNV (mCNV), with 5- to 10-year outcomes currently. Chorioretinal atrophy is still the most important determinant factor for visual outcome. The purpose of this study is to provide an overview of the current treatments for mCNV, including laser, surgical management, verteporfin photodynamic therapy, and mainly anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy. Emerging treatment options are also discussed.