Short-Term outcomes in patients with center-involving diabetic macular edema after a single dose of Intravitreal Bevacizumab.

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate short-term outcomes in patients with center-involving diabetic macular edema (ciDME) after a single dose of intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB). Study Design: Descriptive Study. Setting: Department of Ophthalmology, Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar. Period: 19^th September 2024 to 19^th March 2025. Methods: A total of 140 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and ciDME were included using a nonprobability consecutive sampling technique. Patients who had received prior anti-vascular endothelial group factor therapy, intraocular steroids, or retinal laser treatment within the past year were excluded. Pre-injection and post-injection best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central macular thickness (CMT) were measured using the Snellen chart and optical coherence tomography (OCT), respectively. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 23. Results: A total of 140 patients were included, with a male-to-female ratio of 60:40. The median (IQR) age was 58.50 (8.75) years. CMT significantly decreased from 468.7 (42.9) µm pre-injection to 441.8 (42.42) µm post-injection (p = 0.001), indicating a significant anatomical response. The median BCVA pre- and post-injection remained 0.780, but the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test showed a significant p-value of 0.001, suggesting subtle visual function changes. Age and gender did not significantly impact BCVA or CMT outcomes (p > 0.05). Conclusion: A single dose of intravitreal bevacizumab significantly reduces central macular thickness in patients with center-involving diabetic macular edema. While BCVA changes were statistically significant, they remained clinically limited over a short-term follow-up. Age and gender did not influence treatment response.