The Short-Term Effect of Intravitreal Bevacizumab Injection on Intraocular Pressure

Objectives: To evaluate the short-term intraocular pressure (IOP) changes after intravitreal injection of 0.05 mL (1.25 mg) bevacizumab. Materials and Methods: The study included 57 eyes of 57 patients who had an intravitreal injection of 0.05 mL bevacizumab. The IOPs (measured by TonoPen) before the injection and one minute, 30 minutes, and one hour after the injection were recorded. The changes in IOP in time were evaluated by using the SPSS 15.0 programme. Results: The mean age of the patients was 62.8 +/- 11 years. The patients who received an 0.05 mL bevacizumab injection had diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy (36 eyes), retinal vein occlusion (10 eyes), exudative age-related macular degeneration (7 eyes), and chronic central serous retinopathy (4 eyes). Mean IOP was 17.91 +/- 3.7 mmHg before the injection. Mean IOP was 34.58 +/- 13.5 mmHg on first minute, 21.86 +/- 5.39 mmHg on 30 minutes, and 20.64 +/- 5.77 mm Hg one hour after the injection. The difference between the pre-injection IOPs and post-injection IOPs in different time periods was statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusion: After intravitreal injection of 0.05 mL of bevacizumab, an acute and transient rise in IOP developed immediately. IOP normalizes without any medical or surgical treatment in short term.