This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Anti-VEGF therapy may not have impact on cataract surgery outcomes in DME patients
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
MIAMI — Anti-VEGF therapy for the treatment of diabetic macular edema does not have a negative impact on patients who undergo cataract surgery, according to a speaker here.
“There was no change in best corrected visual acuity observed from baseline to the last visit before surgery despite a decrease in central retinal thickness (CRT). As expected, there was no negative impact on visual acuity as a result of the cataract surgery. In fact, vision improved in both treatment groups after surgery,” Andrew A. Moshfeghi, MD, MBA, said at Angiogenesis, Exudation, and Degeneration 2017.
Many patients ask if receiving anti-VEGF therapy for DME will negatively impact the outcomes of cataract surgery, Moshfeghi noted. He conducted a post hoc analysis of a large, controlled phase 3 study to evaluate the effect of cataract surgery on visual and anatomic outcomes through week 100 in DME patients being treated with intravitreal Eylea (aflibercept, Regeneron) injections or laser therapy.
At 2 years of follow-up, both groups experienced a two-line improvement, he said.
“Despite an increase in CRT that we saw on the OCT after cataract surgery, the mean CRT in the aflibercept group was lower than the laser group. Vision gains trended higher in patients treated with aflibercept compared with laser in the short-term post hoc analysis,” he said. – by Robert Linnehan
Reference:
Moshfeghi AA. Impact of cataract surgery on visual acuity and OCT in DME patients undergoing anti-VEGF therapy. Presented at: Angiogenesis, Exudation, and Degeneration 2017; Feb. 11, 2017; Miami.
Disclosure: Moshfeghi reports he is on the advisory board or panel and a consultant for Genentech, Regeneron, Valeant and Allergan, and receives grants/research support from Regeneron.