Intravitreal injection of bevacizumab for diabetic macula edema: morphological and functional outcomes at 1 day after injection.

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate and compare the visual and anatomical outcomes in eyes with diabetic macular edema (DME) at 1 day and 1 week after injection of intravitreal bevacizumab.

Methods: A retrospective, consecutive case series identified 21 consecutive patients with DME undergoing intravitreal injection of bevacizumab. Optical coherence tomography images were taken at the day of injection and 1-day and 1 week after injection. Retinal thickness at fovea and visual acuity were monitored before and after injection.

Results: The mean age of patients was 65.1 years old (10 females). Retinal thickness at fovea was 490 ± 169 µm before injection, and was 442 ± 162 µm and 335 ± 148 µm at 1 day and 1 week after injection. (Student t test, P=0.001 and 0.004, respectively) Visual acuity (logMAR) was 0.616±0.344 before injection and 0.682±0.413 and 0.425±0.237 at 1 day and 1 week after injection. (P=0.567 and 0.063, respectively)

Conclusions: Resolution of intraretinal fluids was observed at 1 day postoperatively, however at least 1 week is needed so that large amounts of fluids are absorbed in DME. Significant improvement of vision was not observed at 1 day and 1 week after injection. Intraretinal fluids seem to disappear more slowly in DME than those in retinal vein occulusion after intravitreal injection of bevacizumab (Ishikawa A, 2013 ARVO abstract).

Keywords: 498 diabetes • 550 imaging/image analysis: clinical • 748 vascular endothelial growth factor