The response pattern of intravitreal triamcinolone injection for non-AMD macular edema.

Objective: To determine the pattern of functional and anatomical responses after intravitreal triamcinolone (IVTA) for macular edema in diabetic retinopathy, retinal vein occlusion, uveitis, and macular telangiectasia.

Material And Method: A Retrospective interventional study was carried out between January 2004 and July 2006. Thirty-eight eyes from 36 patients who had undergone an IVTA injection for macular edema from etiologies other than age-related macular degeneration (non-AMD macular edema) were included in the present study. Visual improvement and retinal thickness were the main outcomes. Potential complications, including increased intraocular pressure (IOP), intraocular bleeding, and postoperative endophthalmitis were also recorded.

Results: The mean pre-operative logarithm of Minimum Angle of Resolution (logMAR) visual acuity (VA) was 1.0 with an average macular thickness of 463.2 +/- 141.4 microns and mean IOP of 12.9 +/- 2.7 mmHg. The macular thickness rapidly decreased in the first week after an injection with a trough at two months (p < 0.001) and began to rise thereafter. The overall VA started to improve significantly at one month and lasted for two months. The IOP significantly increased from the mean baseline during the first two months in 31.6%, which could be controlled only by the medication. No other serious complications were observed.

Conclusion: IVTA has the potential to improve both functional and anatomical outcomes in non-AMD macular edema. The decrease in macular thickness occurs from one week after an injection but the visual function improves more slowly and has a short-time effect.