Dexamethasone intravitreal implant in patients with cataract and naïve diabetic macular edema

Purpose: To assess the feasibility and clinical effectiveness of dexamethasone intravitreal implant 0.7 mg (IDI) administered in diabetic patients to prevent the worsening of macular edema. Methods: Forty eyes of 40 consecutive patients with naive macular edema secondary to diabetes mellitus who were treated with IDI administered preoperative (Group A: 20 patients) or IDI administered immediately after cataract surgery (Group B: 20 patients). Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central macular thickness (CMT) changes were evaluated at baseline and at postoperative time points. Results: Follow-up study was 20 weeks. In Group A and B, mean BCVA improved significantly at all post-surgery time points (p < 0.05). In Group A and B, mean CMT decreased significantly at 16 weeks (p = 0.02 and p = 0.004, respectively). At week 20, CMT failed to reach statistical significance in both groups (p = 0.5, group A and p = 0.15, group B). No statistical differences were noted between groups in term of BCVA (with the exception of week 4 for the presence of cataract in Group A), CMT and IOP. Conclusions: The use of intravitreal dexamethasone implant 1 month prior to scheduled cataract extraction or at the time of phacoemulsification appears to be safe and effective for at least 16 weeks after surgery.