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The development of a full-thickness macular hole (FTMH) is a rare complication of intravitreal injections, and only a small subset of eyes with an FTMH has a spontaneous closure. We report a case of repeated FTMH formations and a spontaneous closure following an intravitreal injection of bevacizumab (IVB) for a central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO). A 39-year-old male patient presented with reduced vision in his right eye and was diagnosed with a CRVO. Two months later, neovascular glaucoma and macular edema (ME) developed and IVB was performed. After 2 weeks, optical coherence tomography revealed an improvement of the ME and the formation of an FTMH with a hyperreflective material in the FTMH. Two months later, there was a recurrence of the ME and a closure of the FTMH, but the hyperreflective material was still present in the retina. Then, another IVB and panretinal photocoagulation were performed. One month later, the ME had improved and the FTMH was closed, but the hyperreflective material was still present in the retina. After another 2 months, the ME recurred and a third IVB was performed. The ME improved without a recurrence of an FTMH. After that, there were no recurrences of the ME, but the FTMH recurred with the progression of a posterior vitreous detachment and development of an epiretinal membrane 1 year after the third IVB. We suggest that an FTMH be included as a complication of intravitreal injections, and it may close spontaneously during the course of the primary disease.

Intravitreal injection of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) is essential for the treatment of macular diseases such as wet age-related macular degeneration and macular edema. Although continued treatment is needed to maintain good vision, some patients cannot continue such injections for various reasons, including specific phobias. Here, we report a case of a patient with a specific phobia of intravitreal injections who could resume treatment after undergoing combined drug and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). A 74-year-old Japanese man diagnosed with retinal angiomatous proliferation by fluorescein angiography and indocyanine green angiography was treated with intravitreal anti-VEGF injection. However, at 8 months after the first treatment, he became difficult to treat because of a phobia of injections. He was treated with photodynamic therapy, but his macular edema did not improve. After a psychiatric consultation, he was diagnosed with a specific phobia of intravitreal injections. Combined drug and CBT enabled him to resume receiving intravitreal injections. This case demonstrates that a specific phobia of intravitreal injections may benefit from combined drug and CBT. In this regard, some patients with high anxiety and fear of intravitreal injections should be referred to a psychiatrist at an early stage.

This is the first reported case of a successful resolution of cystic-like foveal cavities in eyes with X-linked juvenile retinoschisis (XLRS) treated with topical ripasudil hydrochloride hydrate, a Rho-associated coiled/coil-containing protein kinase (ROCK) inhibitor. A chart review was performed on 1 patient to collect all relevant clinical information and the optical coherence tomographic (OCT) images. A healthy 18-year-old young man presented with bilateral visual disturbances. The patient was diagnosed with XLRS from the spoke-wheel pattern around the macula, negative electroretinograms, and retinoschisis with cystic-like foveal cavities in the OCT images. Significant reductions of the retinoschisis and cystic-like cavities were observed after treatment with topical ripasudil. This is the first case of XLRS that had a resolution of cystic-like foveal cavities after topical ripasudil, a ROCK inhibitor. Since many XLRS patients have a worsening of their visual acuities due to the progressive nature of retinoschisis and cystic-like foveal cavities, topical ripasudil offers a potential treatment option.

Focal choroidal excavation (FCE) is described as an excavated lesion of the choroid that can be detected by optical coherence tomography (OCT). While the exact pathogenesis of FCE remains unclear, it has been proposed in some cases that there is an association with the inflammation in the outer retina. We present a case of FCE development that was detected by spectral domain OCT (SD-OCT) and found to be associated with multiple evanescent white dot syndrome (MEWDS). A 40-year-old Japanese woman was diagnosed with MEWDS based on multiple white dots observed from the posterior pole to the midperiphery, along with yellow granularity in the fovea. SD-OCT revealed separation between the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and Bruch’s membrane (BM) and discontinuations of the ellipsoid zone, RPE, and BM. At 4 weeks after onset, several of the white dots disappeared, the yellow granularity in the fovea became small, and we detected nonconforming choroidal excavation under the central fovea. The choroidal excavation gradually deepened and changed to a conforming pattern. These findings suggest that the degree of the impairment caused by inflammation and the plasticity of the BM and RPE complex may be associated with different types of acquired FCE.

Intravitreal injections of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agents are widely used to treat neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD). Although these treatments are effective, multiple injections have recently been recommended to ensure that there is a good long-term prognosis. However, sustained intraocular pressure (IOP) elevations have been reported to develop after multiple injections of anti-VEGF agents. We present our findings of a case of uncontrolled and persistent IOP elevation after switching from intravitreal ranibizumab injections to intravitreal aflibercept injections. A 74-year-old Japanese man without a history of glaucoma underwent 22 ranibizumab injections for nAMD and suddenly developed an elevated IOP after the 22nd injection. Although the subsequent medical treatment led to normalization of his IOP, the subretinal fluid under the central fovea remained even after the 25th injection of ranibizumab. Thus, ranibizumab treatment was switched to bimonthly intravitreal aflibercept injections in conjunction with glaucoma medications. His IOP recovered to within the normal range; however, after the 11th aflibercept injection, there was a sudden elevation of his IOP in spite of the continued glaucoma medications. Due to this sustained IOP elevation, his aflibercept injections were suspended for 16 weeks. Because his IOP could not be normalized by a full glaucoma medication regimen, the patient underwent trabeculotomy, which resulted in a lowering of the IOP to normal levels. We conclude that patients who receive serial intravitreal injections of anti-VEGF agents need to be closely monitored because severe and sustained ocular hypertension can develop.

Intravitreale Injektionen mit Wirkstoffen gegen den vaskulären endothelialen Wachstumsfaktor (VEGF) sind eine gängige Behandlungsmaßnahme bei neovaskulärer altersbedingter Makuladegeneration (nAMD). Obwohl diese Behandlungen sehr effektiv sind, sind in jüngster Zeit multiple Injektionen empfohlen worden, um auch langfristig für eine günstige Prognose zu sorgen. Es liegen jedoch Berichte über einen Anstieg des Augeninnendrucks (AID) nach multiplen Injektionen mit Anti-VEGF-Wirkstoffen vor. Wir präsentieren hier einen Fall von unkontrollierter persistierender AID-Erhöhung nach der Umstellung von intravitrealen Ranibizumab- auf Aflibercept-Injektionen. Bei einem 74-jährigen japanischen Mann ohne Glaukom in der Vorgeschichte, der zur Behandlung einer nAMD 22 Ranibizumab-Injektionen erhalten hatte, stieg nach der 22. Injektion der AID unvermittelt an. Die daraufhin eingeleitete medikamentöse Therapie führte zwar zur Normalisierung des AID, doch unterhalb der Fovea centralis lag auch nach der 25. Ranibizumab-Injektion noch subretinale Flüssigkeit vor. Daher erfolgte eine Umstellung der Therapie von Ranibizumab auf 2-monatliche intravitreale Injektionen mit Aflibercept, begleitet von Glaukom-Medikamenten. Der AID kehrte daraufhin in den Normalbereich zurück. Nach der 11. Aflibercept-Injektion kam es trotz der weiterhin angewandten Glaukom-Medikamente wiederum zu einem plötzlichen AID-Anstieg. Aufgrund dieser anhaltenden AID-Erhöhung wurden die Aflibercept-Injektionen für 16 Wochen ausgesetzt. Da es auch mit einem umfassenden Glaukom-Medikationsschema nicht gelang, den AID zu normalisieren, unterzog sich der Patient einer Trabekulotomie, die zur Rückkehr des AID in den Normalbereich führte. Wir gelangen zu der Schlussfolgerung, dass Patienten, die serielle intravitreale Injektionen eines Anti-VEGF-Wirkstoffs erhalten, aufmerksam überwacht werden müssen, da sich eine schwere und anhaltende okuläre Hypertension entwickeln kann.

Background/Aims:D-aspartate is an important candidate for retinal neurotransmitter or neuromodulator. The purpose of this study was to investigate the cells type and distribution of the D-aspartate-immunopositive cells in the ganglion cell layer. Methods: Wister rats were fixed by perfusion with 5% glutaraldehyde. Paraffin sections of the retina were immunohistochemically double-labeled using D-aspartate and glutamate or γ-aminobutyric acid antibodies. After labeling the whole-mount retina by D-aspartate, the cell densities of both the perivascular and nonperivascular areas in the ganglion cell layer were measured for the central, midperipheral, and peripheral zones, respectively. Results: Within the paraffin section, some of the glutamate-immunoreactive cells in the ganglion cell layer were D-aspartate immunoreactive. These D-aspartate-positive cells in the ganglion cell layer were more frequently observed along the retinal vessels in the whole-mount retina. The D-aspartate-positive cell densities in the perivascular area were significantly higher than those in the nonperivascular area for the central, midperipheral, and peripheral zones (p < 0.0001). Conclusion: In the ganglion cell layer, the D-aspartate-immunopositive cells proved to be the ganglion cells, with their distribution found to be denser along the large retinal vessels such as the arterioles or venules.