Retinal pigment epithelial tears after pegaptanib injection for exudative age-related macular degeneration

Abstract

Purpose: To report two cases of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) tears following intravitreal pegaptanib injections for occult choroidal neovascularization.

Design: Noncomparative case series.

Methods: The charts of two patients with pigment epithelial tears after receiving intravitreal pegaptanib were reviewed. Approval from the institutional review board and informed consent were obtained before chart review. Fundus photos, intravenous fluorescein angiograms, and optical coherence tomography (OCT) were obtained before and after therapy confirmed the diagnosis.

Results: Two patients had turbid pigment epithelial detachments (PEDs) and occult choroidal neovascular membranes (CNVMs) treated with intravitreal pegaptanib. Both patients developed RPE tears weeks following one intravitreal pegaptanib injection.

Conclusions: This report describes the development of RPE tears after intravitreal pegaptanib injection. Caution should be taken in cases of turbid pigment epithelial detachments in the monocular patient when treatment with intravitreal pegaptanib is entertained. Future studies should be performed to evaluate which subtypes of lesions are most susceptible to this devastating visual complication.