Patterns and Predictors of Successful Treatment Discontinuation in Retinal Vein Occlusions With Macular Edema in the Real World.

Background And Objective: To identify factors associated with successful treatment discontinuation in eyes with retinal vein occlusions (RVOs) and macular edema (ME) in real-world settings.

Patients And Methods: Retrospective study of 214 eyes with RVO and ME with 24-month follow-up at five academic centers. Regression analyses identified factors associated with (1) successful treatment discontinuation for at least 6 months without fluid recurrence and (2) best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at 24 months.

Results: Forty percent of eyes with branch RVO and 35% with central RVO (CRVO) / hemi-retinal RVO (HRVO) successfully discontinued therapy without fluid recurrence, with median time to discontinuation of 6 and 7 months, respectively. Lower 6-month central subfield thickness was associated with greater likelihood of treatment discontinuation within 24 months for eyes with CRVO/HRVO (P = .001), whereas better 6-month BCVA was associated with better 24-month BCVA for all RVO subtypes (P < .001).

Conclusion: Early anatomic response at 6 months is associated with greater likelihood of stopping treatments. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2021;52:84-92.].