The use of avastin (Becacizumab)‎ for the treatment of diabetic macular edema in Iraqi patients

Abstract EN

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.