Objective To evaluate the safety and efficacy of dexamethasone intravitreal implant 0.7 mg (DEX) for treatment of macular edema associated with retinal vein occlusion (RVO). Methods This study was a six-month, randomized, double-masked, sham-controlled, multicenter, phase 3 clinical trial with a 2-month open-label study extension. Patients with branch or central RVO received DEX (n=129) or sham procedure (n=130) in the study eye at baseline; all patients who met re-treatment criteria received DEX at month 6. Efficacy measures included Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS), best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), and central retinal thickness (CRT) on optical coherence tomography. Results Time to ≥15-letter BCVA improvement from baseline during the first 6 months (primary endpoint) was earlier with DEX than sham (P＜0.001). At month 2 (peak effect), the percentage of patients with ≥15-letter BCVA improvement from baseline was DEX: 34.9%, sham: 11.5%; mean BCVA change from baseline was DEX: 10.6±10.4 letters, sham: 1.7±12.3 letters; and mean CRT change from baseline was DEX: −407±212 μm, sham: −62±224 μm (all P＜0.001). Outcomes were better with DEX than sham in both branch and central RVO. The most common treatment-emergent adverse event was in-creased intraocular pressure (IOP). Increase sin IOP generally were controlled with topical medication. Mean IOP normalized by month 4, and no patient required incisional glaucoma surgery. Conclusions DEX had a favorable safety profile and provided clinically significant benefit in a Chinese patient population with RVO. Visual and anatomic outcomes were improved with DEX relative to sham for 3 - 4 months after a single implant.
ObjectiveTo observe the changes of macular morphology and blood flow after minimally invasive vitrectomy (PPV) in patients with severe non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (sNPDR). MethodsA prospective clinical study. From January 2020 to April 2021, 17 consecutive sNPDR patients with 17 eyes who were diagnosed and received PPV treatment at the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center of Sun Yat-sen University were included in the study. There were 12 males with 12 eyes and 5 females with 5 eyes; the average age was 55 years old; the average duration of diabetes was 11 years; the average glycosylated hemoglobin was 7.9%. Before the operation and 1, 3, and 6 months after the operation, all the affected eyes underwent best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), standard 7-field fundus color photography, and optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). An OCTA instrument was used to scan the macular area of the affected eye with in the range of 3 mm×3 mm to measure the central subfoveal thickness (CST), the thickness of the ganglion cell complex (GCC) in the macular area, the thickness of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), and the superficial capillary plexus (SCP) vessel density and perfusion density in the macular area, macular avascular zone (FAZ) area, a-circularity index (AI). Before the operation and 6 months after the operation, the least significant difference test was used for the pairwise comparison. ResultsBefore the operation, 1, 3, and 6 months after the operation, the FAZ area of the macular area were 0.34±0.14, 0.35±0.10, 0.37±0.10, 0.36±0.13 mm2, respectively; AI were 0.52±0.13, 0.54±0.11, 0.57±0.10, 0.60±0.11; CST was 282.6±66.7, 290.4±70.9, 287.2±67.5, 273.2±49.6 μm; GCC thickness were 77.1±15.5, 74.3±13.9, 72.6±16.2, 78.5±18.3 μm; the thickness of RNFL was 97.9±13.8, 101.3±14.6, 97.7±12.0, 96.1±11.4 μm, respectively. The overall blood flow density of SCP in the macula were (16.79±1.43)%, (16.71±1.82)%, (17.30±2.25)%, (17.35±1.22)%; the overall perfusion density were 0.32±0.02, 0.32±0.03, 0.33±0.03, 0.33±0.02, respectively. After the operation, the CST increased first and then decreased; the thickness of RNFL increased 1 month after the operation, and then gradually decreased. Comparison of the parameters before and 6 months after the operation showed that the AI improved, and the difference was statistically significant (P=0.049); the difference in FAZ area and the thickness of CST, GCC, and RNFL was not statistically significant (P=0.600, 0.694, 0.802, 0.712); There was no statistically significant difference in the retina SCP blood flow density and perfusion density in the macular area (P=0.347, 0.361). ConclusionCompared with before surgery, there is no significant change in macular structure and blood flow density in sNPDR patients within 6 months after minimally invasive PPV.