Ozurdex implant in retinal vein occlusions. 3‐months clinical outcomes in the first 17 patients

AbstractPurpose To present the our initial clinical outcomes of dexamethasone 0.7mg intravitreal implant (Ozurdex®) in the first three months after the injection.Methods Seventeen patients (12 male and 5 female, mean age 64.9y) diagnosed with retinal vein occlusions (RVO) and cystoid macular oedema (CMO) received an Ozurdex injection after baseline best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central retinal thickness (CRT) was documented. The patients had monthly clinical visits following the injection.Results Seven patients suffered from central RVO, nine from branch RVO and one patient from hemiretinal RVO. Following the injection of Ozurdex CRT appeared to reduce significantly from a mean of 496.4μm (SD 204.2μm) pre‐injection to a mean of 316.4μm (SD 131.3μm) at 1/12 post‐injection and further to 293.4μm (SD 95.6μm) at 3/12 post‐injection. BCVA was also significantly improved at 1/12 post‐injection and further at 3/12 post‐injection in nine of the patients especially in the nonischemic sub‐groups. Complication rate was relatively low with only four patients having a moderate raise in intraocular pressure managed with topical therapy and one patient suffering a large subconjuctival haemorrhage.Conclusion Our initial results demonstrate that Ozurdex appears to be a safe and efficient treatment option for RVO related CMO. It provides significant decrease in CRT and anatomical improvement on OCT scans in all types of RVO. Improvement of BCVA is possible but it seems that ischemic damage and chronic CMO have an adverse effect on visual restoration despite anatomical improvement.