Effect of Intravitreal Bevacizumab Injection before Ahmed Glaucoma Valve Implantation in Neovascular Glaucoma

<b><i>Purpose:</i></b> To assess the efficacy of preoperative intravitreal bevacizumab injection (IVB) before Ahmed glaucoma valve (AGV) implantation in the treatment of neovascular glaucoma (NVG). <b><i>Methods:</i></b> This retrospective, comparative and consecutive case series study included 41 eyes from 41 patients who underwent AGV implantation for treatment of NVG. The study group was composed of 19 patients (19 eyes) to whom IVB was administered before surgery, while the control group was composed of 22 patients (22 eyes) to whom IVB was not administered before AGV implantation. Findings such as intraocular pressures measured before and after surgery, surgical success rates, and postoperative complications were compared between the groups. <b><i>Results:</i></b> There were no significant differences in preoperative data between groups. The surgical success rate in the study group (79%) was better than in the control group (64%), but this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.28). Early postoperative complications such as fibrinous reaction in the anterior chamber as well as hyphema were less frequently observed in the study group. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> Intravitreal bevacizumab is a useful preparatory step to safely and effectively implant an aqueous shunting tube in eyes with severe NVG and intractable intraocular pressure.