Long-term treatment for diabetic macular oedema
Reviewed by Kurt Spiteri Cornish

The authors set out to characterise anti-VEGF treatment patterns and long-term outcomes in patients with diabetic macular oedema. A retrospective analysis of over 190 thousand patients on the Intelligent Research in Sight registry was performed. Of these, 1236 eyes have six-year data. The average injection interval was 10 weeks in year one and this increased to 13.2 weeks in year two, plateauing in years three to six at between 12.2–12.6 weeks. Improvements in visual acuity from baseline were greatest in eyes that received five or more injections each year. Overall, patients received less injections and had worse visual outcomes compared to clinical trials. One important aspect in this respect is the high treatment burden of diabetes which impacts patient lives, affecting treatment adherence. Around 51.7% discontinued intra-vitreal therapy after six months, but 32.8% re-instated treatment. Poor prognostic factors included old age and Hispanic ethnicity. Access to treatment affects final visual outcomes.

Long-term treatment patterns for diabetic macular edema: up to 6-year follow-up in the IRIS® registry.
Kuo BL, Tabano D, Garmo V, et al.
OPHTHALMOLOGY RETINA
2024;8(11):1074–82.