Immediate loss of vision due to retinal pigment epithelial tear after anti-angiogenesis treatment of pigment epithelial detachment

Abstract

Intravitreal injection of ranibizumab, an antivascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drug, is currently the primary treatment for wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in the UK. Use of ranibizumab for the treatment of isolated pigment epithelial detachments (PEDs) without the presence of an occult choroidal neovascular membrane has not been studied in a randomized controlled fashion and is strictly off-label. One possible complication of intravitreal injection of the drug is retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) tear. To date, the etiology of RPE tear associated with intravitreal injection is unknown; it could be attributed to rapid contraction of the neovascular membrane by fibrosis, perhaps triggered by the drug. We report a case of an RPE tear occurring less than a minute after intravitreal injection of ranibizumab for a fibrovascular PED. To our knowledge, this is the first report of such a case.