Dexamethasone intravitreal implant in the treatment of diabetic macular edema

Abstract

Diabetic macular edema(DME)is the main cause of vision loss in patients with diabetes. Hyperglycemia leads to disruption of the blood-retinal barrier by triggering a pro-inflammatory and pro-angiogenic cascade, leading to intraretinal or subretinal fluid accumulation in the macula. Intravitreal administration of steroids represents an alternative for DME, while injection-related complications include endophthalmitis, vitreous hemorrhage, and retinal detachment. In order to reduce the risks and complications, dexamethasone intravitreal implant(DEX implant; Ozurdex®)were developed. DEX implant is a novel, artificially degradable sustained-release implant, with the advantages of reasonable release profile, strong anti-inflammatory, rapid improvement of macular edema, good bioavailability and safety. DEX implant provides a new choice for the treatment of patients with DME and has been recommended by several guidelines. This article reviews the latest research progress of DEX implant in the clinical treatment of DME.

Keywords

• dexamethasone intravitreal implant
• diabetic macular edema
• inflammatory
• efficacy
• safety