Efficacy of vitrectomy combined with an intraoperative dexamethasone implant in refractory diabetic macular edema

Aims To evaluate the safety and efficacy of vitrectomy combined with an intraoperative dexamethasone (Ozurdex ® ) implant in refractory diabetic macular edema (DME). Methods Patients who were diagnosed at our institution as having DME refractory to more than 6 months of non-surgical treatment and underwent intravitreal dexamethasone implantation combined with vitrectomy. All patients were followed up for more than 12 months. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA, logMAR), central macular thickness (CMT), and intraocular pressure at the initial visit and 1, 3, 4, 6, and 12 months after treatment were recorded. Results Twenty-two eyes (22 patients) were included in this study. The mean preoperative BCVA was 0.68 and the mean CMT was 470.80 µm. The total number of the previous injections was 5.1 ± 1.6. The mean BCVA was significantly improved at all visits, and the mean CMT was also significantly reduced ( p < 0.05). Sixteen eyes (73%) did not need additional implantations during follow-up. Conclusions Vitrectomy combined with an intraoperative dexamethasone (Ozurdex) implant was an effective and safe treatment option in patients with refractory DME.