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Abstract
Purpose
To evaluate the characteristics of corneal parameters in patients with diabetic macular oedema (DME) treated with intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) injections.
Methods
Participants in this study were 36 patients with DME, treated with either intravitreal ranibizumab (n = 16) or aflibercept (n = 20). All participants underwent best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) measurement, optical coherence tomography and non-contact specular microscopy to evaluate corneal endothelium parameters (endothelial cell density-ECD, hexagonality, coefficient of variation of the cell size and central corneal thickness-CCT), at baseline and at months 6 and 12 after the first intravitreal injection. Comparisons between baseline and months 6 and 12 were performed.
Results
There was no statistically significant difference regarding ECD, hexagonality, coefficient of variation of the cell size and CCT at month 6 and 12 post initial injection compared to baseline in patients with DME. BCVA improved significantly at month 6 and 12 compared to baseline (p < 0.001 for both comparisons). Central retinal thickness was significantly reduced at month 6 and 12 compared to baseline (p < 0.001 for both comparisons).
Conclusion
Intravitreal anti-VEGF injections in patients with DME were found not to affect corneal parameters, namely ECD, hexagonality, coefficient of variation of the cell size and CCT at the long-term follow-up of 12 months.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).