MACULAR THICKNESS FLUCTUATIONS AND VISUAL ACUITY OUTCOMES AFTER INTRAVITREAL DEXAMETHASONE IMPLANT FOR DIABETIC...

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Retinal Diseases
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Diabetic macular edema (DME) is a leading cause of vision loss in diabetic patients.
• Intravitreal dexamethasone (DEX) implants are used to treat DME.
• Assessing factors influencing visual acuity outcomes in DME is crucial for effective treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate macular thickness fluctuations in eyes with DME treated with a DEX implant.
• To determine the association between these fluctuations and visual acuity outcomes over 12 months.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 80 eyes with DME treated with DEX implant.
• Quantified macular thickness fluctuations using the standard deviation (SD) of central subfield thicknesses (CST) over 12 months.
• Used linear regression to analyze associations between CST SD, visual acuity (Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study score), and other factors.

Main Results:

• Central subfield thickness standard deviation (CST SD) averaged 75.3 ± 50.3 µm.
• Higher CST SD was significantly associated with poorer visual acuity at 12 months (P=0.01).
• Baseline visual acuity and number of DEX injections predicted CST SD.

Conclusions:

• Increased retinal thickness fluctuations are linked to worse visual outcomes in DME patients receiving DEX implants.
• CST SD is a more predictive indicator of visual prognosis than single CST measurements.