Initial observation or treatment for diabetic macular oedema with good visual acuity: two-year outcomes comparison in...

To compare visual acuity (VA) change at 24 months in eyes with clinically significant DME (CSDME) and good VA initially treated versus initially observed in routine clinical practice.

Retrospective analysis of treatment-naïve eyes with CSDME and good VA (baseline VA ≥ 79 letters), with at least 24 months of follow-up and initially managed with treatment (intravitreal treatment and/or macular laser) or observation with possible treatment after 4 months that were tracked in a prospectively designed observational registry.

We identified 150 eligible eyes (98 initially observed, 52 initially treated) of 130 patients. The proportion of eyes with at least a 5-letter VA loss at 24 months was not significantly different between the groups: 65% with initial observation and 42% with initial treatment (p = 0.39). However, initially observed eyes were more likely to have a 10-letter VA loss at 24 months (OR = 4.6, p = 0.022). Most of eyes in the initial observation group received at least one treatment (an intravitreal injection in 66% and macular laser in 20%) during the 24-month period.

The risk of 5 letters loss was similar between both management groups. However, initially observed eyes were more at risk of developing moderate visual loss and more than 80% of them required treatment over 24 months.