Prophylactic intravitreal bevacizumab for diabetic macular edema (thickening) after cataract surgery: prospective randomized study.

PURPOSE: To determine the role of intravitreal bevacizumab injected at the time of cataract surgery on postoperative increase of retinal thickness in patients with diabetic retinopathy.

METHODS: Patients were randomized to a standardized procedure of phacoemulsification with intraocular lens implantation alone (control group; 30 eyes) or to receive 1.25 mg intravitreal bevacizumab at the end of surgery (IVB group; 31 eyes). Efficacy measures included best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) testing, optical coherence tomography (OCT), and ophthalmoscopic examination at each postoperative visit during a 6-month follow-up.

RESULTS: There were no significant differences in central macular thickness, BCVA, or systemic condition between the control and IVB groups at baseline. One month after surgery, the control group showed a significant increase in central macular thickness, whereas the bevacizumab group did not show an increase. After 6 months, there was no significant difference in macular thickness and postoperative visual acuity between the 2 groups.

CONCLUSIONS: Intravitreal administration of 1.25 mg bevacizumab at the time of cataract surgery is effective just for the short term and 6-month results are the same as the control group.