scholarly journals Current Management of Diabetic Macular Edema

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ogugua Ndubuisi Okonkwo ◽  
Toyin Akanbi ◽  
Chineze Thelma Agweye

Diabetic macular edema is a complication of diabetes mellitus (DM) which contributes significantly to the burden of visual impairment amongst persons living with diabetes. Chronic hyperglycemia triggers a cascade of pathologic changes resulting in breakdown of the retinal blood barrier. Understanding the pathophysiological and biochemical changes occurring in diabetes has led to developing novel therapeutics and effective management strategies for treating DME. The clinical utility of optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging of the retina provides a detailed assessment of the retina microstructure, valid for individualization of patient treatment and monitoring response to treatment. Similarly, OCT angiography (dye-less angiography), another innovation in imaging of DME, provides an understanding of retinal vasculature in DME. From the earlier years of using retinal laser photocoagulation as the gold standard for treating DME, to the current use of intravitreal injection of drugs, several clinical trials provided evidence on safety and efficacy for the shift to intravitreal steroids and anti-vascular endothelial growth factor use. The short durability of available drugs leading to frequent intravitreal injections and frequent clinic visits for monitoring constitute an enormous burden. Therefore, extended durability drugs are being designed, and remote monitoring of DME may be a solution to the current challenges.

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joel Hanhart ◽  
Itay Chowers

Background/Aims: Bevacizumab and ranibizumab are routinely used to treat diabetic macular edema (DME). We aim to evaluate the usefulness of switching to ranibizumab therapy following bevacizumab treatment failure in eyes with DME. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of a consecutive group of patients with DME who received ranibizumab injections following the failure of bevacizumab injections. The injections were delivered following a pro re nata protocol every 4-6 weeks. The data collected included demographics, systemic and ophthalmic findings, as well as the central subfield thickness according to spectral-domain OCT. Results: Eight eyes (5 patients) were included in the study. The median number of bevacizumab injections prior to the switch to ranibizumab was 4, and the median number of ranibizumab injections during the study was 2. The mean follow-up period was 541 ± 258 days. The mean central retinal thickness (CRT) (±SEM) was 539 ± 75 μm before the initiation of bevacizumab treatment, and 524 ± 43 μm after the last bevacizumab injection (p = 0.7). It reduced to 325 ± 26 μm following the ranibizumab injections (p = 0.0063). The best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) improved in 4 eyes and remained stable in 4 eyes following the ranibizumab injections. Conclusion: A ranibizumab therapy was effective in reducing the CRT in eyes that failed bevacizumab therapy. A BCVA improvement can also occur in these eyes. Switching between anti-vascular endothelial growth factor compounds may be beneficial in eyes with DME.


2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 382-391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Albert J Augustin ◽  
Silvia Bopp ◽  
Martin Fechner ◽  
Frank Holz ◽  
Dirk Sandner ◽  
...  

Introduction: The Retro-IDEAL (ILUVIEN Implant for chronic DiabEtic MAcuLar edema) study is a retrospective study designed to assess real-world outcomes achieved with the ILUVIEN® (0.19 mg fluocinolone acetonide (FAc)) in patients with chronic diabetic macular edema (DME) in clinical practices in Germany. Methods: This study was conducted across 16 sites in Germany and involved 81 eyes (63 patients) with persistent or recurrent DME and a prior suboptimal response to a first-line intravitreal therapy (primarily anti-VEGF intravitreal therapies). Results: Patients were followed-up for 30.8 ± 11.3 months (mean ± standard deviation) and had a mean age of 68.0 ± 10.4 years. Best-recorded visual acuity (BRVA) improved by +5.5 letters at month 9 (P ⩽ 0.005, n=56; from a baseline of 49 letters) and this was maintained through to month 30 (P ⩽ 0.05, n = 42). There was a concurrent improvement in central macular thickness with a reduction from 502 µm at baseline to 338 µm at year 1 (P ⩽ 0.0001, n = 43). This effect was sustained to year 3 (i.e. 318 µm; P ⩽ 0.0001, n = 29). Mean intraocular pressure (IOP) remained constant between baseline and year 3 with a peak change of 1.9 mm Hg occurring at year 1. Elevated IOP was observed in a similar percentage of patients prior to (22.2% of cases) and following (27.2%) treatment with the FAc implant. In the majority of cases, these elevations were managed effectively with IOP medications. Conclusions: Despite substantial amounts of prior intravitreal treatments – primarily with anti–vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drugs – this real-world study showed that sustained structural and functional improvements can last for up to 3 years with a single FAc implant.


2016 ◽  
Vol 134 (12) ◽  
pp. 1429 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee M. Jampol ◽  
Adam R. Glassman ◽  
Neil M. Bressler ◽  
John A. Wells ◽  
Allison R. Ayala ◽  
...  

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