Intravitreal PRN ranibizumab treatment for macular edemadue to branch retinal vein occlusion.

BACKGROUND/AIM To evaluate the effect of intravitreal pro re nata (PRN) ranibizumab treatment from the start on the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and the central retinal thickness (CRT) in macular edema (ME) due to branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO). MATERIALS AND METHODS Patients with ME secondary to BRVO, who were treated on a PRN basis after a single intravitreal ranibizumab injection, were retrospectively evaluated. The main outcome measures were changes in BCVA and CRT as measured by optical coherence tomography. RESULTS The number of injections over 6 months was 2.43 ± 1.16. The mean BCVA of the patients was 0.84 ± 0.10 logMAR at baseline and 0.41 ± 0.06 at the 6th month (P < 0.001). Mean BCVA of the ischemic BRVO group was 1.06 ± 0.68 logMAR at baseline and 0.44 ± 0.30 logMAR at the 6th month (P < 0.05). Similarly, the mean BCVA of the nonischemic BRVO group was 0.77 ± 0.53 logMAR at baseline and 0.41 ± 0.36 logMAR at the 6th month (P < 0.05). Between groups, there was no significant difference in mean BCVA at any examination. CONCLUSION Intravitreal ranibizumab is a safe and effective treatment option for ME due to ischemic and nonischemic BRVO using PRN from the start.