AIM: To investigate the safety and efficacy of intravitreal dexamethasone implants (Ozurdex®/DEX) in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME) either naïve or non-naïve to anti-VEGF therapies who switched to DEX implant independent of response to anti-vascular endothelial growth factors (anti-VEGFs).
METHODS: This was an audit retrospective review of medical records of patients with DME who switched to the DEX intravitreal implant. Patients were divided into 2 groups: patients naïve to antiangiogenic therapy and patients who were previously treated with anti-VEGFs. Data regarding demographics, changes in mean best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central macular thickness (CMT), and intraocular pressure (IOP) was collected over 6mo. The demographic data mean changes in BCVA, CMT, and IOP were compared. Six-month follow-up data of 47 patients (57 eyes), who either switched to DEX implant irrespective of response to previous treatments or were treatment naïve before receiving DEX implant, was collected.
RESULTS: Improvement in mean BCVA was observed from 1-4mo after injection with a decreased effect at month 6 as expected, with better outcomes in naïve compared to non-naïve patients. A statistically relevant decrease in mean CMT was observed during the follow-up period. An increase in mean IOP was observed in the first 2mo after DEX therapy. The mean number of injections of the overall population during the 6mo was 1.3. A subgroup analysis showed no relevant difference between phakic versus pseudophakic patients relative to measured outcomes. There was no cataract progression during the follow-up period and no adverse events reported.
CONCLUSION: This real-life setting study shows that intravitreal DEX implant is effective and safe. The timings of greater therapeutic impact are concordant with previous studies and suggest that earlier treatment with corticosteroids may have an additional benefit in naïve patients.
Our purpose is to report a clinical case of bilateral macular edema caused by malignant hypertension in a 35-year old male. Patient presented with bilateral low visual acuity, massive macular edema, retinal hemorrhages and papilledema. Soon after he was diagnosed with other target-organ lesions, on heart and kidneys. After 6 months of controlled blood pressure, an increase in visual acuity and a small decrease of macular edema, we effectively treated the lower vision eye with two intravitreal ranibizumab injections, improving anatomy and function on both eyes. Even though we only treated one eye with ranibizumab, the contralateral eye also improved visual acuity and central macular thickness. This probably happened due to systemic absorption of ranibizumab. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of ranibizumab use in macular edema due to malignant hypertension.
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