Aims To investigate the impact of posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) on the efficacy of treat-and-extend (T&E) ranibizumab in neovascular age-related macular degeneration.

Methods In a post hoc analysis of a randomised controlled clinical trial, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography images of treatment-naïve patients randomised to receive T&E (n=265) or monthly (n=264) ranibizumab for 12 months were included. Certified, masked graders diagnosed the presence or the absence of complete PVD. The main outcome measures were the mean change in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central retinal thickness (CRT) at month 12, the number of administered ranibizumab injections and the proportion of patients extended to more than 8 weeks.

Results At baseline, complete PVD was present in 51% and 56% of patients in the monthly and T&E arms, respectively. Mean change in BCVA at month 12 was +9.0 (PVD) vs +9.5 letters (no PVD, p=0.78) in monthly treated eyes, and +6.0 (PVD) vs +7.5 letters (no PVD, p=0.42) in T&E treated eyes. Conversely, mean change in CRT at month 12 was −174 (PVD) vs −173 µm (no PVD, p=0.98) in the monthly arm, and −175 (PVD) vs −164 µm (no PVD, p=0.58) in the T&E arm. In T&E treated patients, the median number of injections was eight vs nine (p=0.035). 71% of PVD eyes were extended successfully, compared with 55% of eyes without PVD (p=0.005).

Conclusion PVD was not found to impact functional and anatomical outcomes of T&E ranibizumab therapy. However, patients without a complete PVD required more retreatments and were significantly less likely to be successfully extended.

Trial registration number NCT01948830