Purpose: The aim of this report is to describe the resolution of refractory cystoid macular edema (CME) associated to retinitis pigmentosa (RP) with IV tocilizumab in three patients.
Methods: Retrospective study of a series of consecutive cases of patients treated with off-label IV tocilizumab (anti IL6) for CME refractory to acetazolamide 250 mg for 3 months. Patients were diagnosed with RP by fundus appearance, electrophysiology, visual fields, and genetic testing. A complete ophthalmic examination including spectral-domain optical coherence tomography was performed.
Results: Three patients with RP and CME refractory to acetazolamide 250 mg for 3 months were treated with monthly IV tocilizumab for at least six months.All patients resolved CME and improved visual acuity after the third month of IV tocilizumab, resolving systemic and ocular adverse events related to previous treatments for CME. Tocilizumab was well tolerated with no other adverse events.
Discussion: CME causes visual impairment in RP, but current treatments are usually deficient. Tocilizumab has been successfully used as treatment for refractory CME in uveitis, retinal dystrophies, and autoimmune retinopathies. This article reports, for the first time, the long-term resolution of refractory CME in RP with IV tocilizumab.