Abstract
Purpose :
Intravitreal dexamethasone (Ozurdex) is a corticosteroid implant with demonstrated efficacy in the treatment of cystoid macular edema secondary to several ocular pathologies. While other medications have safety data regarding same-day bilateral intravitreal delivery, this data is lacking for the Ozurdex implant. The purpose of this study was to assess whether same-session injection of intravitreal dexamethasone (Ozurdex) was safe when performed bilaterally and consecutively in an outpatient setting.
Methods :
A retrospective single center review of patients receiving bilateral intravitreal dexamethasone (Ozurdex) from March 1, 2013 to August 1, 2016 was conducted. Selection criteria required patients to have received consecutive bilateral injections for treatment of diabetic macular edema, retinal vein occlusion, or posterior uveitis. Data collected included number of injections, treatment indication, pre-injection intraocular pressure, and cases of endophthalmitis, cataract progression, wandering of the implant, or patient perception of poor tolerability to bilateral delivery.
Results :
A total of 48 injections were administered to 24 eyes of 12 patients that qualified for the study. Number of injections ranged from 1 to 5 per eye with an average of 2 +/-1.41 injections per eye during the study. Patients received intravitreal dexamethasone (Ozurdex) for treatment of diabetic macular edema (10 patients), retinal vein occlusion (1 patient) or posterior uveitis (1 patient). There were no cases of complications from bilateral intravitreal delivery and zero cases of endophthalmitis, wandering implant, or cataract progression. Intraocular pressures above 21mmHg were reported in 3 patients and resolved in all patients with single-drop therapy and did not require surgical intervention.
Conclusions :
This study found bilateral consecutive intravitreal dexamethasone (Ozurdex) to be safe for the treatment of cystoid macular edema when administered in a single session in an outpatient facility. No serious adverse complications were reported and the treatment was well tolerated. While a few patients experienced episodes of ocular hypertension, this was comparable to the data of unilateral intravitreal dexamethasone (Ozurdex) injection, and was easily controlled. This is the first series to the authors’ knowledge demonstrating this safety data for the Ozurdex implant.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2017 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Baltimore, MD, May 7-11, 2017.