Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between the level of systemic blood pressure (BP) control and the clinical outcomes of intravitreal Conbercept for macular edema (ME) secondary to retinal vein occlusion (RVO). METHODS: We conducted a retrospective study of hypertensive patients who were treated between January and June 2025 at the Second People's Hospital of Jinan for ME secondary to RVO. All patients received a 0.05 mL (10 mg/mL) intravitreal Conbercept injection and concurrent medical management for hypertension. Patients were stratified into three groups depending on if their BP were under control (Group A), partially under control (Group M), or out of control (Group Z) based on their BP during the follow-up over 1 month. RESULTS: The study included 76 patients (36 males, 40 females) with a mean age of 63.11 ± 10.10 years. The number of patients in each group was as follows: Group A, n = 25; Group M, n = 31; Group Z, n = 20. A total of 76 eyes were analyzed, of which 34 had central RVO and 42 had branch RVO. At 1 month post-treatment, Best Corrected Visual Acuity (BCVA) was significantly better in Groups A and M compared to Group Z (p < 0.001). Foveal thickness was significantly lower in Groups A and M compared to Group Z at 1 week and 1 month (both p < 0.001). No significant differences in BCVA or foveal thickness were found between Group A and Group M at any time point. CONCLUSION: Systemic BP control is associated with the short-term efficacy of Conbercept for ME secondary to RVO, and patients with well-controlled BP achieve superior visual and anatomical outcomes. This underscores the importance of co-managing systemic hypertension.