Our experience with anti‐VEGF treatment on central serous retinopathy

Purpose To evaluate the short‐term efficacy of intravitreal anti‐VEGF for the treatment of subretinal fluid (SRF) and/or pigment epithelium detachment (PED) secondary to chronic central serous chorioretinopathy (CSR). Methods Sixteen patients were treated with intravitreal injections of anti‐VEGF at 6‐ to 8‐week intervals until SRF and/or PED resolved. Main outcomes were Best‐Corrected Visual Acuity (BCVA), central retinal thickness (CRT) measured with optical coherence tomography (OCT), performed at 6‐ to 8‐week intervals and number of injections. Fluorescein angiography was performed at baseline visit and thereafter depending on clinical and OCT findings. Results Patients received 3.16 (range: 1–15) intravitreal injections of anti‐VEGF on average during a follow‐up of 22 +/‐ 2 weeks. Mean BCVA increased by 11.2 letters and mean CRT decreased significantly over follow‐up from 396.68 µm at baseline to 250.36 µm on last visit. 5 patients (31.25%) showed complete resolution of subretinal fluid and PED, 6 patients (37.5%) had persistent SRF and 5 patients (31.25%) had persistent PED. Conclusions Anatomic and functional improvement following intravitreal anti‐VEGF injections suggest that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) may be involved in fluid leakage in patients with chronic CSR. The results suggest a possible role for anti‐VEGF agents in the treatment of chronic CSR.