Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41484662›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of retina and vitreous2026

Dexamethasone implant vs. anti-VEGF for diabetic macular edema with epiretinal membrane: short-term outcomes.

Yung-Ching Chang, Tsung-Cheng Hsieh, Tsung-Yueh Chan, Ming-Shan He

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Article in International journal of retina and vitreous, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Yung-Ching Chang *Department of Ophthalmology, Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital, Tzu Chi University, No. 707, Sec. 3 Chung-Yung Road, Hualien, 970, Taiwan.
Tsung-Cheng Hsieh *Institute of Medical Sciences, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan.
Tsung-Yueh ChanDepartment of Ophthalmology, Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital, Tzu Chi University, No. 707, Sec. 3 Chung-Yung Road, Hualien, 970, Taiwan.
Ming-Shan HeDepartment of Ophthalmology, Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital, Tzu Chi University, No. 707, Sec. 3 Chung-Yung Road, Hualien, 970, Taiwan. mingshanher@gmail.com.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDiabetic retinopathy frequently coexists with secondary epiretinal membrane (ERM), which may interfere with therapeutic responses in diabetic macular edema (DME). However, consensus on optimal management for DME with concomitant ERM is lacking. This study compared the short-term therapeutic effects of intravitreal dexamethasone (DEX) implants and anti-VEGF agents in DME eyes with ERM.

methodsWe retrospectively analyzed 109 eyes of 71 patients treated with either intravitreal anti-VEGF or DEX implant for DME between January 2014 and December 2022. Pre-treatment optical coherence tomography was reviewed. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central macular thickness (CMT) were recorded at baseline, 2 months, and 4 months after treatment. The primary outcomes were changes in BCVA and CMT between baseline and follow-up after DEX or anti-VEGF therapy.

resultsDEX provided a significantly greater relative reduction in CMT for DME eyes with ERM (β = − 15.675% [5.0]), while no significant difference was observed in eyes without ERM compared to anti-VEGF. Anti-VEGF therapy resulted in significantly less CMT reduction in eyes with ERM than in those without ERM (P < 0.001). DEX implantation led to significant BCVA improvement versus anti-VEGF in DME with ERM (OR = 5.287; 95% CI, 1.100–25.417), whereas no significant difference was found in eyes without ERM (OR = 1.128; 95% CI, 0.232–5.493).

conclusionsDEX therapy achieved superior short-term anatomical and functional outcomes compared to anti-VEGF in DME with ERM, supporting its consideration as a first-line treatment option in this subgroup.

Indexed as

Anti-VEGFDexamethasone implantDiabetic macular edemaEpiretinal membrane

Identifiers

PMID41484662
PMCPMC12866193

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.