This study was performed to investigate the changes in clinical findings after switching from ranibizumab or aflibercept to bevacizumab due to the limited number of insured injections in patients with exudative age-related macular degeneration (ARMD).

The study population consisted of patients who had undergone intravitreal injection of ranibizumab or aflibercept for ≥ 6 months and were then treated with bevacizumab for ≥ 6 consecutive months for exudative ARMD. We evaluated best-corrected visual acuity, central subfield macular thickness, disease activity, and the number of injections for one year at the time of switching the drugs.

Forty patients (26 men and 14 women) were included in the analysis. The mean age was 71.9 (56-89) years old, with typical ARMD in 23 eyes, polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy in 15 eyes, and retinal angiomatous proliferation in two eyes. The number of injections for 6 months increased from 2.3 to 2.9 after switching the drugs ( p < 0.001). Visual acuity was not significantly different between 6 months before and at the time of switching (LogMAR 0.55 ± 0.34 and 0.52 ± 0.27, respectively) ( p = 0.300), but decreased significantly to 0.57 ± 0.34 at 6 months after switching ( p = 0.018). There were no significant differences in central subfield macular thickness or disease activity.

Bevacizumab required more injections to achieve similar anatomical outcomes in patients with exudative ARMD treated with ranibizumab or aflibercept, and visual acuity decreased despite anatomical stability.