Visual outcome in diabetic retinopathy with macular oedema after combined therapy with intravitreal bevacizumab and retinal photocoagulation: An observational case series

Abstract

Purpose To evaluate the Visual Outcome in Diabetic Retinopathy with Macular Oedema after Combined Therapy with Intravitreal Avastin (Bevacizumab) and Retinal Photocoagulation. Material and Methods The study included a total of 142 eyes in 142 patients with diabetic macular oedema. All eyes were treated with intravitreal bevacizumab followed by laser photocoagulation .Visual outcome was measured in terms of changes in visual acuity (logMAR) at I month and 3 months after treatment and central macular thickness using spectral domain Ocular Coherence Tomography (OCT) at 3 months after treatment. Results Visual acuity improved from the mean best corrected visual a cuity (BCVA) log (MAR) of 0.9678 ± 0.2306 at baseline to 0.8928 ± 0.2516 at first visit and then 0.7831 ± 0.2866 at final visit in all 142 patients. OCT determined central macular thickness changed from a mean value of 624 ± 151 microns at first visit to 478 ± 141 microns at final visit in all studied subject. Conclusion Combined therapy with intravitreal bevacizumab and laser photocoagulation has a role in stabilizing the retinal anatomy and reducing retinal edema both in NPDR (Non proliferative diabetic retinopathy) and PDR (Proliferative diabetic retinopathy) with macular oedema. The decrease in the central macular thickness is also associated with a significant improvement in BCVA.