Drug Design, Development and Therapy (Nov 2024)
Effects of Dexamethasone Intravitreal Implant on Multifocal Electroretinography in Diabetic Macular Oedema
Abstract
Paris Tranos,1 Stavrenia Koukoula,1 Penelope Burle de Politis,1 Marianna Tranou,1 Olympia Giamouridou,1 Panagiotis Stavrakas,2 Georgios D Panos3– 5 1Vitreoretinal Department, Ophthalmica Eye Institute, Thessaloniki, Greece; 2Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, University of Patras, Patras, Greece; 3Division of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK; 4Department of Ophthalmology, Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham University Hospitals, Nottingham, UK; 5First Department of Ophthalmology, AHEPA University Hospital, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, GreeceCorrespondence: Georgios D Panos, Department of Ophthalmology, Queen’s Medical Centre, Derby Road, Lenton, Nottingham, NG7 2UH, UK, Tel +44 115 924 9924, Email [email protected]: To evaluate the efficacy of the dexamethasone implant on the electrophysiological profile of Diabetic Macular Oedema (DMO) patients over six months.Methods: In this prospective, single-center study 30 eyes of 22 patients were examined using comprehensive baseline assessments including best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central retinal thickness (CRT), contrast sensitivity (CS) and multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG), before and after 0.7mg dexamethasone implant injection, with follow-ups at months 1, 2, 4, and 6. The study employed mixed models to analyse within-subject and between-subject correlations, considering the complexities of multiple measurements per subject.Results: At baseline, BCVA was 0.66 ± 0.104 logMAR, improving to 0.568 ± 0.104 logMAR by month 6 (P > 0.05). CRT significantly reduced from 521 ± 28.7 μm to 336 ± 28.7 μm (P 0.05). P wave amplitude saw a notable rise from 33.4 ± 5.66 μV to 47.9 ± 5.43 μV (P 0.05). No severe adverse events were recorded.Conclusion: These results underscore the 0.7mg dexamethasone implant’s potential in improving certain electrophysiological markers in DMO, while also highlighting the need for further investigation into its comprehensive impact on retinal function.Keywords: dexamethasone implant, electroretinogram, diabetic macular oedema, visual function, macular thickness, visual acuity, contrast sensitivity