DR. RAHUL CHOUBEY

Abstract

Purpose :To investigate changes in contrast sensitivity (CS), visual acuity (VA), central retinal thickness (CRT), and VQLI in recalcitrant DME switched from long-term ranibizumab treatment to aflibercept.

Method: In this prospective, single-center study, 22 patients with persistent fluid, despite previous ranibizumab treatment, were switched to aflibercept. The primary outcome was mean change in CS. Secondary outcomes were mean change in BCVA, CRT.

Results : 30 eyes (baseline VA >6/36) were evaluated. Mean CS improved from 1.60±0.26log units to 1.78±0.15 log units at week 12 (P<0.001). VA improved with mean logarithmMAR BCVA of 0.47±0.19 to BCVA of 0.23±0.16 at week 12 (P=0.0016). Mean CRT decreased from 355±77 to 273±52 µm (P<0.001). Conclusion :Switching from ranibizumab to aflibercept in patients with recalcitrant DME resulted in an improvement in VA, CRT. Inclusion of CS as an endpoint may yield a more complete understanding of visual outcomes than that obtained by using VA alone.

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