A review on vasohibin and ocular neovascularization

AIM: To evaluate and compare the incidences of ocular hypertension and severe intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation after posterior subtenon injection of triamcinolone acetonide (PSTA) for various diseases.METHODS: Totally 179 eyes that had received PSTA for diabetic macular edema, pseudophakic cystoid macular edema, branch retinal vein occlusion, central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO), choroidal neovascularization or noninfectious uveitis were retrospectively enrolled. The primary outcomes included ocular hypertension defined as an IOP >21 mm Hg, and severe IOP elevation defined as a rise of 10 mm Hg or more in IOP compared with baseline. Cox regression models were used to analyze the hazard ratios (HRs) among different diseases.RESULTS: After PSTA, the mean IOPs from month 1 to month 6 all significantly increased (P<0.05). Ocular hypertension occurred in 30.7% of eyes (median time: 8wk), and severe IOP elevation occurred in 16.2% of eyes (median time: 9wk). Patients receiving PSTA for CRVO or uveitis had a significantly higher risk for ocular hypertension (HR=3.049, P=0.004 for CRVO; HR=5.464, P=0.019 for uveitis) and severe IOP elevation (HR=2.913, P=0.034 for CRVO; HR=7.650, P=0.009 for uveitis). CONCLUSION: IOP significantly increased within 6mo after PSTA, with the onset of ocular hypertension happening mostly at 2 to 3mo. Patients of CRVO or noninfectious uveitis had a higher risk of ocular hypertension or severe IOP elevation after PSTA and should be monitored for IOP more carefully.