Comparison between intraocular pressure spikes following intravitreal aflibercept injections between phakic and pseudophakic eyes

Background and objective: The quickest growth in the field of ophthalmology are intravitreal injections. Age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and occlusive venous disease associated macular oedema include the most frequent indications of injections. Antiangiogenic agents are the most common injections. The aim of this study is to determine intraocular pressure changes following intravitreal injections between phakic and pseudophakic eyes. Methods: A hospital based prospective cross-sectional study involved 50 patients divided into two groups; 27 phakic patients marked as group A, while 23 pseudophakic patients as group B. The study conducted in ophthalmology department of Erbil Teaching Hospital in Erbil city from July 2021 till April 2022. The participants were recruited from the outpatient clinic and planned for intravitreal anti-VEGF / aflibercept (EYLEA®) injection. Results: The mean intraocular pressure difference pre-injection and six hours after single injection was -0.59 ± 1.21 and -0.65 ± 1.19 mmHg (higher in the post injection period) for group A and B respectively. This difference was statistically significant (P value was 0.018 and 0.015) for both group A and B respectively. The intraocular pressure levels reduced slightly after twenty-four hours following injection; the difference in intraocular pressure level between 6 hours and twenty-four hours was statistically significant for the phakic group (P value of 0.29) but insignificant for the pseudophakic group (P value of 0.056). Conclusion: The status of the lens either being phakic or pseudophakic has no implication on intraocular pressure after intravitreal anti-VEGF injection. There was a statistically significant short-term increase in intraocular pressure in both groups after six hours of intravitreal injection.