Macular oedema controlled by Avastin?

Bevacizumab injections (Avastin) can improve vision in patients with diabetic macular oedema (DME), according to study results published in the October 2008 issue of the journal Retina.

Mi In Roh, MD of Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea and colleagues administered repeated injections of intravitreal bevacizumab (at a mean interval of 22.06±11.15 weeks) to eyes presenting with clinically significant macular oedema (n=31), and measured visual acuity (VA) and biological data before the first injection, as well as at one, six and 12 weeks after the injection. They then compared these results with those obtained from independent and paired t-test groups.

The team reported that there were no statistically significant differences in VA and central macular thickness (CMT) values between the groups before the bevacizumab injections. Six weeks after the initial injection, VA increased by 3.72±8.02 letters on the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) chart; CMT decreased by 93.30±210.33 µm at six weeks, which, at 12 weeks, returned to baseline levels. After the second injection, VA increased by 3.97±7.46 letters and CMT decreased by 118.77±178.58 µm. At 12 weeks, VA had once again decreased and CMT had returned to oedematous levels.

Thus the team concluded that bevacizumab injections may improve both VA and CMT in eyes with diabetic macular oedema (DME). The effects are, however, short-lived, and therefore repeated injections are required to ensure long-term efficacy.