Abstract
Purpose :
Steroid therapy for diabetic macular edema (DME) has been established. We reported the efficacy of steroid eye drops(difluperdonate ophthalmic emulsion, ) for the treatment of DME. Eye drops are most non-invasive device for DME therapy. To determine the long-term outcomes of patients treated with steroid eye drops.
Methods :
A retrospective, non-comparative, log-term observational study. Changes and outcomes of visual acuity and central retinal thickness were assessed in patients who started drug therapy with steroid eye drops.
Results :
This study included 98 eyes of 66 patients who had started treatment with the eye drops and had then been followed up for 12 months or longer. Before treatment, the mean logarithm minimum angle of resolution visual acuity(BCVA) was 0.397 ± 0.29, and the mean central retinal thickness(CRT) was 458.9 ± 122.1 mm. There were 49 eyes (50%) that had been treated with the eye drops alone for 12 months or longer. The other 49 eyes were additionally treated with topical steroid therapy, anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy, pars plana vitrectomy, etc. During follow up, the BCVA changed as follows: 0.367 before treatment, 0.317 at 1 month of treatment (p = 0.195), 0.300 at 2 months (p = 0.119), 0.265 at 3 months (p = 0.001), 0.251 at 6 months (p = 0.005), and 0.251 at 12 months (p = 0.007). The CRT decreases were as follows: 431.8, 355.4 (p = 0.000), 335.8 (p = 0.000), 348.0 (p = 0.000), 361.9 (p = 0.012), and 330.8 (p = 0.000) mm.
Conclusions :
Approximately half of the patients with DME who started steroid eye drop therapy were treated with the eye drops alone for 12 months or longer and achieved improvement in visual acuity and retinal thickness non-invasively.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2018 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Honolulu, Hawaii, April 29 - May 3, 2018.