Medical College of Wisconsin
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Secondary glaucoma after bevacizumab injection in Type-1 retinopathy of prematurity. Am J Ophthalmol Case Rep 2024 Dec;36:102131

Date

08/20/2024

Pubmed ID

39161378

Pubmed Central ID

PMC11331697

DOI

10.1016/j.ajoc.2024.102131

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-85199504850 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)

Abstract

PURPOSE: The authors report three separate cases of type 1 retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) treated with intravitreal bevacizumab before, or at 34 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA), with subsequent development of secondary glaucoma.

OBSERVATIONS: All three cases involve patients born ≤24 weeks and meeting the American Academy of Pediatrics criteria for ROP screening. Prior to treatment, each patient was noted to have normal anterior chamber structures with no signs of glaucoma. Each patient developed type 1 ROP and was treated with intravitreal bevacizumab, which was administered at or before 34 weeks PMA. Following the administration of intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), each patient developed a suspected open-angle glaucoma (OAG) within an approximate 4-week time frame. In these cases, the presentation of glaucoma differed from those that have been previously reported in the literature.

CONCLUSION AND IMPORTANCE: Based on similar timing of glaucoma development following intravitreal bevacizumab injections, we hypothesize that the administration of anti-VEGF agents to very premature infants (≤24 weeks) at or before 34 weeks PMA, may predispose them to the development of secondary glaucoma through an unknown and possibly novel pathway.

Author List

Jones AA, Martin JS, Giangiacomo AL, Costakos DM

Author

Jacob S. Martin MD Assistant Professor in the Ophthalmology department at Medical College of Wisconsin