Visual Outcome after Anti-Vascular Epithelial Growth Factor Therapy Using New Classification of Diabetic Macular Edema by Optical Coherence Tomography.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of the study was to examine alterations in visual acuity in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME), classified according to the TCED-HFV optical coherence tomography (OCT) system, following anti-vascular epithelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy.

METHODS: The medical records of patients with DME receiving anti-VEGF therapy were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were divided into four groups according to the TCED-HFV OCT classification. Patient demographic and clinical characteristics and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) before and after treatment were compared among the groups.

RESULTS: The BCVA before treatment was 0.49 ± 0.18, 0.81 ± 0.41, 0.83 ± 0.41, and 0.82 ± 0.49 in the early DME, advanced DME, severe DME, and atrophic maculopathy groups, respectively. The BCVA in the early DME group was therefore significantly lower than that in the other three groups (p = 0.042). After treatment, the BCVA improved to 0.15 ± 0.17, 0.52 ± 0.31, 0.62 ± 0.32, and 0.69 ± 0.47 in the early DME, advanced DME, severe DME, and atrophic maculopathy groups, respectively (p < 0.005). There were some differences among patients in the four groups in terms of the duration of diabetes, percentage of hemoglobin A1c, and duration of hypertension.

CONCLUSION: The TCED-HFV OCT classification of patients with DME is exact and functional and can allow the severity of DME, and its response to anti-VEGF therapy, to be estimated.