Comparison of the short-term effect of aflibercept and dexamethasone implant on serous retinal detachment in the treatment of naive diabetic macular edema

Purpose: The aim of this study is to compare the efficacy of intravitreal injection of aflibercept and dexamethasone implant in the early treatment period of naive diabetic macular edema (DME) with serous retinal detachment (SRD). Materials and methods: In this retrospective comparative study, medical records of patients who received treatment for naive DME with SRD and underwent three monthly intravitreal aflibercept (IVA) injections (2 mg) or one intravitreal dexamethasone implant (IDI) injection (0.7 mg) were reviewed. The best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central macular thickness (CMT), and presence and height of SRD were compared three months after IDI injection and one month after the third IVA injection. Results: A total of 57 eyes of 49 patients were included in the study. The IVA group consisted of 32 eyes of 27 patients, whereas the IDI group consisted of 25 eyes of 22 patients. Both groups were similar in terms of gender, baseline intraocular pressure, HbA1c levels, types of diabetes, BCVA, CMT, and height of SRD (p = 0.469, p = 0.089, p = 0.889, p = 0.461, p = 0.072, p = 0.073, and p = 0.064, respectively). The mean CMT changes were 228.6 ± 109.8 µm and 168.5 ± 106.4 µm in the IDI and IVA groups, respectively (p < 0.001 for both groups). The change in CMT was statistically significantly greater in IDI group than in IVA group (p = 0.041). The mean SRD changes were 162.7 ± 106.9 µm and 110.7 ± 51.9 µm in the IDI and IVA groups, respectively (p < 0.001 for both groups), and the change in SRD height was statistically significantly greater in IDI group than in IVA group (p = 0.019). SRD completely resolved in 92% and 91.2% of the patients in IDI and IVA groups, respectively (p = 0.856). Moreover, BCVA was significantly increased after the injections in both groups (p < 0.001 for both groups), and the change in BCVA was comparable between the groups (p = 0.245). Conclusions: Fewer injections of dexamethasone implant demonstrated better morphological results than aflibercept in the early treatment period of naive diabetic macular edema (DME) with serous retinal detachment (SRD).