10 Mar Ozurdex Improves Vision in Diabetic Patient | Treatment for DME
Ozurdex to treat diabetic macular edema improved my patient’s vision in just 3 months! AB first came to my office in November 2014. He was complaining of blurry vision (in fact, he was legally blind).
AB was diagnosed with Type 1 (Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus) 8 years ago. He did not have regular eye exams.
Legally Blind
His vision in both eyes, with correction, was 20/400 at his initial visit with me in November (2014). He had significant diabetic macular edema (also known as DME or CSME) causing the loss of vision. He barely has cataracts.
Standard fluorescein angiography was performed. The OCT’s from November are included below.
Treatment for Diabetic Macular Edema
I felt it best to treat him with a combination of Avastin and then Ozurdex. Intraocular injections of Avastin were given to each eye followed by Ozurdex two weeks later.
Before Treatment with Ozurdex
 Right |
 Left |
After Treatment with Ozurdex |
 Right |
 Left |
What Does This Mean?
This is a remarkable case where there has been significant and rapid restoration of vision. This case also reminds me of the many options we now have for treating diabetic macular edema….not just laser.
In this case, I preferred a combination of Avastin and Ozurdex because of the significant amount of macular edema and the dramatic loss of vision of both eyes.
I am pleasantly surprised by both the rapidity of improvement and the amount of vision improvement!
The Avastin may or may not be needed, but in my experience starts the improvement faster. The Ozurdex will continue to treat the macular edema for up to four months. This has the potential of reducing the number of office visits to a minimum.
The diabetic macular edema could return at any time. I’ll need to monitor AB for any signs of recurrence. If the swelling does recur, he may need additional injections.
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