Drug switch helps DMO patients

The results were based on 50 eyes of 40 patients, who had previously received on average 30 months of Lucentis treatment, during which a mean of 21 injections had been administered, including five or six injections in the six months before the study.Meanwhile, the results of the Eylea treatment were evaluated at 20 weeks, during which time the patients had received five monthly injections.{{quote-A:R-W:450-I:2-Q: Roving even small amounts of residual fluid in cases of diabetic macular oeda can result in improvents in visual function, including contrast sensitivity. -WHO:Dr Donald Nixon, Consultant to Abbott Medical Optics and Oculus}}Patients reported improvents in both contrast sensitivity and best corrected visual acuity, while mean central retinal thickness decreased by 35 μm. More than half of the test participants also reported subjective improvent of vision-related quality of life.According to the researchers, the improvent following the switch was due to the inherently different properties found in the aflibercept molecule, which has a greater binding affinity to VEGF-A, and also binds to VEGF-B and placental growth factor.“The results of this study should encourage clinicians to reacquaint thselves with contrast sensitivity as an important component of visual function testing as it plays a significant role in the activities of daily living, such as driving, facial recognition and reading speed,” study author Dr Donald Nixon told medical news website Healio.“Evidence from this paper shows that roving even small amounts of residual fluid in cases of diabetic macular oeda can result in improvents in visual function, including contrast sensitivity.”“Switching anti-VEGF therapy in cases of DMO with residual fluid, in this case going from ranibizumab to aflibercept, may be associated with a further reduction in fluid and a commensurate improvent in visual function,” Nixon added.The study abstract was presented at the 2017 Euretina Conference and the full findings were published by the Dove Medical Press.