Objective: To assess the real-life performance and clinical outcomes in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME). Method: The chart records were retrospectively evaluated for 42 eyes of 42 patients with DME, who were followed for two years between October 2013 and October 2016 at the Retina Unit. The patients were treated using intravitreal ranibizumab (0.5 mg/0.05 ml) for two years. Results: The Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) letter score indicated BCVA values of 71.1±22.4 letters at baseline, 74.1±19.1 letters at the sixth month, 76.2±16.2 letters at the first year, and 76.1±21.2 letters at the end of the second year. BCVA at the sixth month and first and second years were not significantly different from the baseline value (p=0.172, p=0.051, p=0.108). The mean CFT were 407.4±140.0 μm at the baseline, 375.5±141.5 μm at the 6th month, 357.0±129.1 μm at the 1st year, and 313.8±108.9 μm at the end of 2nd year. The change in mean CFT compared to the baseline value was not statistically significant at the 6th month, but were statistically significant at the 1st and the 2nd years (p=0.082, p=0.040, and p=0.000, respectively).The mean numbers of injections and follow-ups at the end of the second year were 3.7±2.5 and 9.1±3.1, respectively. Conclusion: The BCVA did not change significantly compared to baseline. The BCVA eye scores improved by 15 or more letters, in agreement with findings of other multi-center studies. However, the eyes with a BCVA loss of 15 or more letters showed a significant difference, which might reflect the smaller number of injections given in the present study compared to the other studies.
Identification of time point to best define ‘sub-optimal response’ following intravitreal ranibizumab therapy for diabetic macular edema based on real-life data