OCT changes identify DME treatment failure

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The persistence of macular edema seen on OCT is the hallmark of treatment failure for patients with diabetic macular edema, according to a speaker here.

“Changes in the OCT are the most objective way to evaluate the response to any treatment because it is independent [of] any other factor,” Patricia Udaondo, MD, of Valencia, Spain, said at the Retina World Congress.

Stabilizing or improving visual acuity is the main objective of treatments in ophthalmology, including retina disorders, Udaondo said. However, the improvements or changes in visual acuity after a treatment may not be the most precise method for determining treatment failure, be it anti-VEGF or steroidal therapy, she said.

Basing treatment failure on the improvement of vision can be problematic, she said, because the “ceiling effect” can often impact the improvement of a patient’s vision. Also, patients with 20/20 vision can often still have edema, she said.

“Identifying treatment failure is important, but it’s sometimes difficult because it’s very difficult to be precise. You have confounding factors, such as cataract development and ceiling effects in some cases,” she said. – by Robert Linnehan

Reference:

Udaondo P. Identifying treatment failures in DME. Presented at: Retina World Congress; Feb. 23-26, 2017; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Disclosure: Udaondo reports no relevant financial disclosures.