Abstract
Purpose: :
To report the experience of two German uveitis centers with a dexamethasone 0.7 mg sustained-release intravitreal implant (Ozurdex TM; Allergan, Inc, Irvine, CA) in noninfectious posterior uveitis.
Methods: :
The study included 58 eyes with noninfectious uveitis receiving one or more intravitreal injections of a commercially available dexamethasone implant (s), Ozurdex TM. Main outcome measures: Complete ophthalmic examination including signs of inflammatory activity, visual acuity, optical coherence tomography and adverse effects and tolerability of the implant were assessed.
Results: :
Fifty eight eyes of 48 consecutive patients treated with a total of 63 dexamethasone 0.7 mg sustained-release intravitreal implants for posterior noninfectious uveitis were included. Patients presented with unilateral (n=13) or bilateral posterior/intermediate uveitis (n=45). All eyes showed clinical and morphological evidence of decreased inflammation following implant placement. Maximum clearance of vitreous haze could be achieved within 4 weeks in 82% of all treated eyes (p<0.01), whereas significant reduction (p<0.05) of central retinal thickness was reached at 3 months. Within the mean follow-up of 8.8 months increased IOP (+ 5mmHg) was observed in 43 % of all eyes and reached 35mmHg or above in 12% of all patients. All events of ocular hypertension could be controlled with conservative treatment. No serious ocular or systemic adverse events were noted during the follow-up period.
Conclusions: :
In patients with noninfectious posterior/intermediate uveitis, the sustained-release dexamethasone 0.7 mg intravitreal implant is an effective treatment option for controlling intraocular inflammation.
Keywords: uveitis-clinical/animal model • macula/fovea • corticosteroids