Abstract
This prospective, single-center, single-blind, interventional cohort study compares acute intraocular pressure (IOP) changes following intravitreal aflibercept injections in eyes with different vitreous states. 67 eyes of 58 patients, including vitrectomized eyes with (n = 22) and without silicone oil tamponade (n = 22) and nonvitrectomized eyes (n = 23) were analyzed. Intravitreal aflibercept was administered according to guidelines. IOP was evaluated before and immediately after intravitreal injection (IVI) and at 5, 15, 30, 60, and 180 min, day 1, and week 1 postinjection. IOP measurements were taken with iCare-100 rebound tonometry (RBT) and Goldmann applanation tonometry (GAT). The mean participant age was 62.13 ± 14.06 years (male-to-female ratio, 1.48:1). Postinjection IOP increased to the same levels. IOP curve resolution was similar in all vitreous groups, showing no significant difference at any timepoints. Emulsified silicone oil did not affect the IOP curve. Prior IVI count had some influence on the dynamics of IOP spike resolution but did not affect the initial IOP rise. RBT showed moderate-to-good agreement with GAT, except for extremely elevated IOPs where it appeared less consistent. Intra-silicone and post-vitrectomy administration of aflibercept is safe. RBT may be considered for nonglaucomatous cases as an easy alternative to follow-up postinjection acute IOP changes.
Data availability
The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
Editorial assistance in the preparation of this article was provided by Shirlene Parker of Enago.
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Open access funding provided by University of Szeged. Editorial assistance was funded by University of Szeged, Klebelsberg Library, Szeged, Hungary. Open Access publishing is supported by open access agreement between the University of Szeged (ref: 8056) and publisher.
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Á.Sz. conceptualised the study, collected, analysed, and visualised data, wrote and edited the manuscript. G.T. collected data, edited the manuscript. N.B. collected data. F.R. analysed and visualised data, wrote the manuscript. D.J.Sz. collected data, edited the manuscript. A.G. collected data. E.T.-M. provided clinical resources, critically reviewed the manuscript. A.K. conceptualised the study, collected data, wrote and edited the manuscript, performed intravitreal procedures.
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The Ethics Committee of the University of Szeged reviewed and approved the trial (Protocol no. NH_SiOP-001, Reference no. 168/2022-SZTE RKEB). The study was conducted in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration of 1964, and its later amendments. All subjects provided informed consent to participate in the study.
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Szabó, Á., Thury, G., Baranyi, N. et al. Acute effects of intravitreal aflibercept injections on intraocular pressure in vitrectomized and silicone-oil-filled eyes: a prospective cohort study. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-38455-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-38455-1
