Role of intravitreal bevacizumab in diabetic macular edema

Abstract

To evaluate the role of intravitreal bevacizumab on visual function and retinal thickness in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME). The study was conducted at SRMS IMS, Bareilly, U.P. from 1st January 2015 to 30th December 2015. The study included 37 eyes of 28 patients with DME. Complete ophthalmic examination, including best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), stereoscopic biomicroscopy, and retinal thickness measurement by optical coherence tomography (OCT), was done at baseline and at each follow-up visit. All patients were treated with 0.05 ml intravitreal injection containing 1.25 mg of bevacizumab. All patients completed 3 months of follow-up. The mean BCVA at baseline was 0.889 ±0.111 logMAR, which significantly improved to 0.176±0.349, 0.088±0.238 and 0.088±0.309logMAR at 1 week, 1 month and 3 months. The mean central retinal thickness was 321±113.46 μm at baseline and decreased to 247±90.73, 235.5±95.452, 230.5±92.543 μm at 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months. No adverse effects were observed. Intravitreal bevacizumab injection resulted in significant improvement in BCVA and central retinal thickness 1 week after injection in patients with DME, and this beneficial effect persisted for up to 3 months.