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Corticosteroids recognized as the most effective treatment for retinal edema

• By Newsdesk
• New Delhi
• Jun 16, 2023

News

American physicians have discovered that administering corticosteroids like dexamethasone and other anti-inflammatory medications surpasses the effectiveness of specialized drugs such as ranibizumab in treating retinal macular edema. The National Institute of Eye Diseases (NEI NIH) press service reported this finding, which was published in the scientific journal Ophthalmology. According to Professor Douglas Jebbs from Johns Hopkins University, the clinical trials clearly demonstrated the superiority of corticosteroid injections over ranibizumab and methotrexate in treating macular edema associated with uveitis.

Macular edema is a hazardous eye condition characterized by the buildup of fluid and protein deposits within or beneath the surface of the macula. It most commonly affects individuals with diabetes, older individuals, those who have undergone cataract surgery, and individuals with uveitis.

The study authors noted that both traditional corticosteroid anti-inflammatory drugs and various specialized agents are currently used to treat macular edema. Ranibizumab, for example, has gained popularity in recent years. However, this study marks the first time doctors have compared the efficacy of new and old drugs for treating macular edema.

To gather this information, the researchers conducted a study involving two hundred patients suffering from chronic uveitis. Each patient received injections of one of three drugs: the corticosteroid dexamethasone, ranibizumab, or methotrexate. The patients' retinal condition was monitored, and additional doses of the drugs were administered to the eyes if there was no improvement. After four months, the experiment was summarized.

The results revealed that dexamethasone injections led to an average reduction in swelling volume of 35 percent, whereas ranibizumab and methotrexate injections only reduced it by 20 percent and 11 percent, respectively.

These findings suggest that it is unnecessary to rely on expensive specialized drugs like ranibizumab, which may cause significant side effects, to combat retinal macular swelling. The study authors concluded that for the majority of patients, conventional corticosteroids are both safer and more effective.