AIM: To explore the prevalence of outer retinal tubulation(ORT)in nAMD patients treated with anti-VEGF and the frequency of anti-VEGF therapy before and after ORT appearance.

METHODS:Sixty eyes of 54 patients were included in the study(treated with ranibizumab by pro re nata regimen(PRN)and followed up for 24mo. At baseline, patients underwent fluorescein fundus angiography(FFA), fundus color photography(CFP), best corrected visual acuity(BCVA)and macular optical coherence tomography(OCT), and followed up monthly thereafter. The subretinal hyper reflective material(SHRM)and ORT was recorded at baseline, and the time of new appearance of outer retinal tubulation structure during followup also was noted. The average number of intravitreal injections before and after ORT was compared. The BCVA and central retinal thickness(CRT)were compared between ORT eyes and non-ORT eyes.

RESULTS: ORT was found in 15.0%, 21.7%, 25.0% and 46.7% of patients at baseline. After ORT appearance, the average number of injections of anti-VEGF per month decreased(Whitman U test, P=0.006), and the difference was statistically significant. At baseline, 78.3% of the eyes had SHRM, 66.0% of which eventually had ORT, while at baseline, there was only 23.1% of the eyes had ORT in no SHRM eyes, with a relative risk of 2.86(P<0.01). The BCVA and CRT were worse in ORT eyes than those in non-ORT eyes.

CONCLUSION: ORT increases gradually with the prolongation of the course of the disease, and the frequency of anti-VEGF retreatment decreases after the occurrence of ORT.