INTRAVITREAL INJECTION OF AIR FOR THE TREATMENT OF VITREOMACULAR TRACTION

PURPOSE: To study the efficacy of a single intravitreal injection of air as a valuable alternative to current treatment options (conservative, pharmacological, and surgical) in patients with symptomatic, focal vitreomacular traction. METHODS: Interventional, nonrandomized clinical study including a consecutive series of patients who underwent a single injection of 0.3 mL of air for vitreomacular traction. Each patient underwent best-corrected visual acuity, and spectral domain optical coherence tomography before and after the procedure. Mean maximal horizontal vitreomacular adhesion and a maximal foveal thickness were measured manually. RESULTS: Four eyes of four patients, all males, were included in the study. Mean age was 71 ± 6.7 years; mean best-corrected visual acuity was 0.3 ± 0.08 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) (20/40 Snellen equivalent). One month following treatment, complete resolution of vitreomacular traction was achieved in 100% of eyes. Mean visual acuity postinjection was 0.18 ± 0.09 logMAR (20/32 Snellen equivalent) (Student's t test for repeated measures P = 0.03). No correlation has been found between horizontal vitreomacular adhesion and best-corrected visual acuity or maximal foveal thickness and best-corrected visual acuity (P = 0.7 and P = 0.9, respectively). CONCLUSION: Intravitreal injection of air could offer a minimally invasive, low-cost alternative treatment in patients with symptomatic, persisting vitreomacular traction. Additional studies on a larger number of patients are required.