Intravitreal Fluocinolone Acetonide Implant Evaluated in a Prospective Real-World Study

This article is part of MPR’s coverage of the American Academy of Ophthalmology 2019 Meeting, taking place in San Francisco, CA. Our staff will report on medical research related to eye disorders, conducted by experts in the field. Check back regularly for more news from AAO 2019.

SAN FRANCISCO – Intravitreal fluocinolone acetonide (FAc; Iluvien) implant demonstrated significant improvements in patients with diabetic macular edema, according to research presented at the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) 2019 Annual Meeting, held October 12-15, 2019 in San Francisco, California.

The prospective IDEAL registry study evaluated the safety and efficacy of FAc implant in 146 patients (166 eyes) with diabetic macular edema, who had a prior suboptimal response to laser and/or injections of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Patients were administered FAc 0.19mg sustained release intravitreal implant, injected into the back of the eye. Outcome measures included central retinal thickness (CRT), a stabilization of best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), and safety profile.

Results showed that FAc implant improved mean CRT from 398.79µm to 297.22 µm at 27 months. Additionally, mean BCVA and intraocular pressure (IOP) remained relatively stable throughout the study period after FAc implant was administered. Ophthalmic drops were administered to 20.84% of study eyes with changes in IOP, however, no IOP-lowering surgery was required.

Researchers concluded that “in patients with persistent or recurrent diabetic macular edema, the FAc implant led to significant structural improvements and decrease in central retinal thickness.” They added that “subgroup analysis showed that patients with mild and moderate diabetic retinopathy achieved better and more stable morphological and functional results.”

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