Effect of intracameral bevacizumab injection on corneal endothelial cells: an in vivo evaluation.

BACKGROUND We studied the effect of an intracameral bevacizumab injection on the corneal endothelium and iris neovessels (INV). METHODS Ten eyes were studied in 10 patients with an average age of 52.1 +/- 13.17 years. Patients underwent intracameral bevacizumab injections at a concentration of 1.25 mg/0.05 mL. Intraocular pressure, best-corrected visual acuity, gonioscopy, neovascular membrane extent, anterior segment photography, iris fluorescein angiography, pachymetry, and specular microscopy were recorded preoperatively and postoperatively. RESULTS The minimum follow-up period was 4 months. INVs started to regress within the first 2 days after the injection and regressed completely by the end of the fourth week. Reduction in INV leakage started 1 week after injection, and resolved in 8 eyes (80%) by the end of the fourth week. Intraocular pressure dropped significantly from 17.8 +/- 4.8 mmHg to 16.6 +/- 2.8 mmHg over 4 weeks. The mean endothelial cell loss was 3.95% +/- 6.78%. CONCLUSIONS An intracameral bevacizumab injection proved to be safe for corneal endothelial cells.