Efficacy of Dexamethasone Sustained Released Implant in Treatment of Diabetic Macular Oedema: A Study during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Aim: The aim of this study is to report the efficacy of dexamethasone intravitreal implant in patients with Diabetic Macular Oedema (DMO) in a real life setting, under limitations posed by the COVID-19 pandemic we performed a retrospective observational review twenty patients (25 eyes) diagnosed with DMO were included. Patients were diagnosed and treated between January 2020 and December 2021 at Ashford and St. Peter’s hospitals NHS foundation trust. All patients were treated with intravitreal implants releasing 0.7 mg of dexamethasone. The mean age was 72 years (59-85) 60%of patients were males and 40% were females. The mean Best- Corrected Visual Acuity (BCVA) changed from 0.528 LogMAR to 0.436 LogMAR after 3-6 months, (p-value was not significant). The CMT changed from 469 μm before treatment to 399 μm after 3-6 months (p-value=0.000202). Only two patients needed to be treated with topical anti-glaucoma medication to control Intraocular Pressure (IOP). Five patients had a cataract extraction surgery at the time of their dexamethasone injection.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to document the efficacy and safety of using dexamethasone 700 μg intravitreal IV injections as treatment for Diabetic Macular Oedema (DMO) over a 6 months period in Ashford and St. Peter’s hospitals NHS foundation trust. Further to this we reported type of complications and management.