Long-term follow-up of perifoveal exudative vascular anomalous complex treated with intravitreal injections of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor and thermal laser photocoagulation

PURPOSE: To describe the long-term follow-up of a patient with perifoveal exudative vascular anomalous complex (PEVAC) treated initially with intravitreal injections of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) followed by focal thermal laser photocoagulation. OBSERVATIONS: A 78 years-old man presented with large, soft drusen in both eyes. Optical coherence tomography and fluorescein angiography revealed the presence of PEVAC in the left eye. The patient was in good general health with no history of diabetes and had no signs of other retinal vascular disease. During the follow-up, the intraretinal fluid accumulation progressively increased and the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) dropped from 20/20 to 20/30 over a period of 33 months. As the intraretinal fluid continued to increase and BCVA further decreased to 20/50 despite two intravitreal injections of anti-VEGF, the patient underwent focal thermal laser photocoagulation with a reduction in intraretinal fluid observed 1 month later. Two months after laser, the BCVA increased to 20/25 with complete reabsorption of the intraretinal fluid. Ten months after laser, the BCVA remained stable at 20/25 with no recurrence of intraretinal fluid. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPORTANCE: This case illustrates that a PEVAC lesion may remain non-exudative for an extended period of time, but when exudation develops, anti-VEGF therapy may be ineffective requiring the use of thermal laser photocoagulation.