Authors: (including presenting author): :
Chong S(1)(2), Au CL(1)(2), Leow PL(1)(2)
Affiliation: :
(1)Department of Ophthalmology, Tung Wah Eastern Hospital, (2)Department of Ophthalmology, Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital
Keyword 1: :
ophthalmology
Keyword 3: :
medical retina
Keyword 5: :
intraocular pressure
Keyword 6: :
intravitreal injection
Introduction: :
Intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy is the standard of care for various retinal diseases. The recent introduction of high-dose (8mg) aflibercept aims to reduce treatment burden by extending injection intervals. However, this formulation requires a larger injection volume (0.07 mL) compared to the conventional 2mg dose (0.05 mL). This increased volume has raised clinical concerns regarding the magnitude and duration of transient intraocular pressure (IOP) spikes immediately following injection.
Objectives: :
This is the first cohort study looking into the IOP changes after 8mg Aflibercept (0.07ml) intravitreal injections in a Chinese population.
Methodology: :
This is a single-centred, observational cohort including all Chinese eyes with 8mg Aflibercept intravitreal injections between June and August 2025. The control group included the same eyes with data of other anti-VEGF (0.05ml) injections available, which were eye and gender matched.
Result & Outcome: :
120 eyes with 8mg Aflibercept injections were included in this study. The mean pre-injection IOP for the 8mg Aflibercept group was 15.4 +/- 3.2 mmHg compared to post-injection IOP of 18.9 +/- 4.4 mmHg (p=< 0.001). There was positive correlation between the pre- and post-injection IOP (p=0.003). 68 eyes were included in the control group with mean pre-injection IOP 15.6 +/- 3.5 mmHg compared to post-injection IOP of 19.0 +/- 5.3 mmHg (p=< 0.001). The IOP changes after injections were not statistically different between the 8mg Aflibercept and control groups (p=0.219). 31 out of 120 eyes (25.8%) in the 8mg Aflibercept group had post-injection IOP >21 mmHg without pre-existing ocular hypertension (i.e. pre-injection IOP
