THE USE OF AVASTIN (BECACIZUMAB) FOR THE TREATMENT OF DIABETIC MACULAR EDEMA IN IRAQI PATIENTS
Abstract
Purpose: To evaluate the effect of intravitreal bevacizumab on visual acuity in patients with diabetic maculopathy, clinically significant macular edema (CSME). Methods: Thirty eyes of twenty-eight patients (mean age, 57.9±13.8 years) with CSME were included in this study. Complete ophthalmic examination, including determination of best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), stereoscopic biomicroscopy with +90D lens was done at baseline and at each follow-up visit. All patients were treated with a 0.1 mL intravitreal injection containing 2.5 mg of bevacizumab (Avastin). Results: All patients completed 3 months of follow-up with a mean follow-up period of 5.26±2.39 months. The mean BCVA at baseline was 0.73±0.36 logMAR, which significantly improved to 0.63±0.41 (p=0.02), 0.58±0.36 (p=0.003), and 0.61±0.40 logMAR (p=0.006) at 1 week, 1month, and 3 months. Final BCVA analysis demonstrated that 15 eyes (50%) remained stable and 12 (40%) improved ≥2 lines on BCVA. No ocular toxicity or significant side effects were observed. Conclusions: Intravitreal bevacizumab injection resulted in significant improvement in BCVA as early as 1 week after injection in patients with CSME, and this beneficial effect persisted for up to 3 months. However, the slight reduction in this improvement at 3 months suggests that repeated bevacizumab injections might be necessary. To evaluate the long-term safety and efficacy, further prospective randomized controlled clinical trials will be needed.References
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