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Eyes mCNV Treatment
Treatment
Treating mCNV

Treatment

Without treatment, central vision in those with mCNV can rapidly get worse and lead to legal blindness.1,2

89% of people with mCNV are legally blind after 5 years if not treated. (reference 2)”.

Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (Anti-VEGF) therapy is the main treatment for mCNV, targeting the VEGF responsible for new blood vessel formation, as described in the causes of mCNV section.1 Anti-VEGF therapy is a biologic medicine. 

Biologic medicines refer to medicines made from a biological source, such as living cells and organisms. “Biosimilars” is another term that may be used when talking about biologics. Biosimilars are biological medicines which are highly similar to the original biologic reference medicine in terms of quality, safety and efficacy. This means there is no clinically meaningful difference to the original biologic medicine.

These biologic medications are given as an injection into your eye, which is called an intravitreal injection. An antiseptic solution will be used to clean your eye, and anaesthetic drops will be used to numb it. You will be asked to look in one direction, and the injection is given in the opposite corner, so you are unlikely to see the needle, and it only takes a few seconds. The majority of patients will find this procedure painless, but some people may develop pain or discomfort. In some cases, you may develop an allergic reaction, but this is rare.3 

Alternative treatments  

In some circumstances, laser eye treatment is given, which works by preventing the growth of new blood vessels and preventing damaged vessels from leaking.3  

These include: 

  • laser photocoagulation 
  • photodynamic therapy 

References

  1. NHS Manchester Royal Eye Hospital Retinal Services Information for Patients. Treatment of Myopic Choroidal Neovascularisation (CNV). Accessible at: https://mft.nhs.uk/app/uploads/sites/2/2018/04/REH-213.pdf. Last accessed May 2025.
  2. David Perez et al. Myopic Choroidal Neovascularization, Available at: https://www.aao.org/eyenet/article/myopic-choroidal-neovascularization. Last accessed May 2025.
  3. Genentech. UNDERSTANDING mCNV. Available at: https://www.gene.com/stories/understanding-mcnv. Last accessed May 2025.