By  Jimmy Downs

SundayNov 18, 2012 (foodconsumer.org) -- Avastin (Bevacizumab) should not be used in patients ocular ischemic syndrome (OIS) or central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) because the drug can lead to acute vision loss, according to a study in Journal of Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

The study led by Y. J. Jo of Department of Ophthalmology, Chungnam National University College of Medicine in Deajeon, Republic of Korea reported four patients with OIS or CRVO experienced vision loss within one week of Avastin injection. 

Bevacizumab, its trade name Avastin, is a drug commonly used to prevent cancer from growing because it can bind to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) protein and inhibit angiogenesis, which is needed by cancer cells to grow.    Intravitreal/intracameral injection of Avastin has been reported as a treatment for patients with ocular ischemic conditions, according to the authors. 

The patients in the report were examined for "best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), intraocular pressure (IOP), funduscopic findings, and fluorescein angiography' before and after intravitreal bevacizumab injections.

Acute vision loss was found in all patients within one week of Avastin injection before its clearance from the eye and it was found that "microcirculatory disturbances occurred in the retina."  It is unknown whether the patients recovered from the vision loss.

The authors concluded "intravitreal injection of bevacizumab should be undertaken with extreme caution in patients with a history of cerebral infarction, especially with OIS or nonischemic CRVO, and with diabetic retinopathy and vitrectomized eye with pseudophakia."