Three Year Outcomes of Intravitreal Ranibizumab and Aflibercept Treatment of Patients with Diabetic Macular Edema in a Real-World Setting

Abstract PurposeTo evaluate and compare the functional and anatomical outcomes of intravitreal ranibizumab (IVR) and aflibercept (IVA) treatments in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME).MethodsFour hundred three eyes of 235 naïve patients who underwent IVR or IVA treatment for diabetic macular edema and followed up to 36 months included in this retrospective, real-life study. All patients underwent 3 loading doses and followed up with a PRN regimen. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central macular thickness (CMT) were measured at baseline, year 1, 2 and 3. ResultsThere were 198 eyes in IVR group and 205 eyes in IVA group. The changes in mean BCVA were 0.09±0.32 vs 0.17±0.41 logMAR (p=0.042) at year 1, 0.09±0.37 vs 0.12±0.45 logMAR (p=0.512) at year 2 and 0.13± 0.36 vs 0.15±0.48 logMAR (p=0.824) at year 3 in IVA and IVR groups, respectively. The baseline mean BCVA were lower (p=0.004) in IVA group. In terms of CMT changes, there were no differences between groups. ConclusionAt year 1, change in mean BCVA was statistically significantly higher in IVA group, however this difference did not persist at year 2 and 3. Both ranibizumab and aflibercept treatments achieved a good long-term visual and anatomical response in DME patients.