Macular edema is a potentially blinding disease that can develope in diabetics. In macular edema fluid accumulates in the macula, a part of the retina, which is responsible for central vision.
An increase in VEGF, a growth factor, appears to play a role in macular edema. Ranibizumab, a VEGF blocker, given as ocular injections shows promise in the treatment of macular edema and macular degeneration. An earlier study showed an improvement in patients with macular degeneration.
"The results are impressive," lead author Dr. Quan Dong Nguyen, from Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute in Baltimore, said in a statement. However, "we will not know until we begin a larger clinical trial what the long-term benefits of the drug might be."
Nguyen's team investigated the effects of ranibizumab in 10 patients with diabetic macular edema. The subjects were given intraocular injections of ranibizumab at the start of the study and at 1, 2, 4, and 6 months.
At the 7-month checkup, researchers noted a significant drop in macular thickness and improvement in visual acuity in study subjects.
There appear to be no side effects from this injection. More studies are planned.
Dale L. Edwards
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