Steroid implant reduces macular thickness with small vision gain

Issue: August 2016

SAN FRANCISCO — Long-term anatomic outcomes improved but with limited visual improvement in phakic eyes treated for posterior uveitis with repeated dexamethasone intravitreal injections, according to a scientific poster presented here.

Dorukcan Akincioglu, MD, and colleagues assessed outcomes in eyes with noninfectious posterior uveitis with cystoid macular edema treated with the dexamethasone 0.7 mg sustained release intravitreal implant Ozurdex (Allergan) over 20 months.

The retrospective review included 29 eyes of 19 patients with a mean age of 47.73 years.

Eighty weeks after the first injection, mean central macular thickness (CMT) statistically significantly decreased from 528.50 µm at baseline to 221.50 µm (P < .001).

Mean logMAR best-corrected visual acuity improved from 0.65 at baseline to 0.40 at 80 weeks after the first injection; the improvement was statistically insignificant.

Eleven eyes (37%) underwent second injections a mean 7.54 months after the first injection and eight eyes had third injections a mean 7.75 months after the second injection.

IOP increased in three eyes (10%) but was controlled with topical medications.

Cataracts developed in nine phakic eyes (45%), the authors wrote. – by Matt Hasson

Reference:

Akincioglu D. Outcomes of intravitreal dexamethasone implant (Ozurdex) in treatment of noninfectious posterior uveitis. Presented at: American Society of Retina Specialists annual meeting; August 9-14, 2016. San Francisco.

Disclosure: Akincioglo reports no relevant financial disclosures.