Abstract
Purpose: :
To investigate the efficacy of intravitreal injection of bevacizumab for persistent diabetic macular edema after vitreous surgery.
Methods: :
Sixteen eyes of 16 patients (52 to 75 years old) were studied. A 1.25 mg of bevacizumab was injected intravitreally, and visual function and vision-related quality of life were evaluated before and 1 and 3 months after injection. We examined logMAR best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), letter contrast sensitivity with CSV-1000LV (Vector Vision), central retinal thickness using optical coherence tomography (Stratus OCT 3000, Carl Zeiss), and vision-related quality of life with the 25-item National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (VFQ-25).
Results: :
At 1 month after injection, statistically significant improvements were observed in central retinal thickness (p < 0.05) and letter contrast sensitivity (p < 0.05), whereas logMAR BCVA (p = 0.41) and VFQ-25 composite score (p = 0.29) did not improve significantly. At 3 months after injection, significant improvements were not observed in logMAR BCVA (p = 0.17), letter contrast sensitivity (p = 0.22), central retinal thickness (p = 0.40), and VFQ-25 composite score (p = 0.78).
Conclusions: :
The intravitreal injection of bevacizumab for persistent diabetic macular edema after vitreous surgery temporarily improved central retinal thickness and letter contrast sensitivity, but did not improve visual acuity and vision-related quality of life.
Keywords: quality of life • diabetic retinopathy