Dexamethasone Intravitreal Implant Therapy for Retinal Vein Occlusion Macular Oedema and Conversion to Ranibizumab in Clinical Practice.

Purpose: Evaluation of outcomes in retinal vein occlusions (RVOs) for: (1) multiple repeat dexamethasone (DEX) injections and (2) conversion from DEX to ranibizumab. Methods: We conducted a retrospective study evaluating outcomes of multiple DEX injections and those requiring conversion to ranibizumab at Moorfields Eye Hospital, Bedford, UK. All patients had undergone a complete ophthalmic work-up. Results: Patients (n = 129) had a mean follow-up of 19.9 months. The mean improvement in central retinal thickness was 312 mu m after final DEX (p = < 0.0001). Mean peak best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) after final DEX was an improvement of 16 ETDRS letters (p < 0.0001). Forty-nine patients were converted and received a mean of 9.37 ranibizumab injections with a mean improvement in BCVA of 15 ETDRS letters (p < 0.0001) compared with final DEX. Conclusions: This study supports the use of ranibizumab in eyes previously treated with DEX and provides long-term efficacy and safety data for multiple DEX injection. (c) 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel