Objective: The study aims to determine the association between the functional and the anatomical responses after intravitreal anti- VEGF injection for cases of non-tractional DME and the baseline SD-OCT biomarkers.
Study Design: a prospective, single-center, observational study.
Patients and Methods: The study included 51 eyes of 35 Patients with non-tractional DME with central subfield thickness (CST) of more than 250 micrometers. Baseline SD-OCT biomarkers and BCVA were detected. All patients received monthly intravitreal anti-VEGF injections of bevacizumab 1.25 mg/0.05 ml for 3 months with reassessment of BCVA and OCT parameters one month after the 3rd injection.
Results: Of the 51 eyes, 15 were functional responders and 28 were anatomical responders. There were a statistically significant association between the functional response and combined DME (p= 0.015) and between it and the subretinal fluid (p= 0.050), while on associating functional response to DRIL, hyperreflective foci, ellipsoid zone integrity and ELM integrity; there were statistically insignificant associations (p =0.884, 0.409, 0.971 and 0.971 respectively). A statistically significant association was found between the anatomical response and the subretinal fluid (p = 0.004) with no statistically significant associations between it and other OCT biomarkers.
Conclusion: Although multiple OCT biomarkers were used as predictors for the functional response after IVI of anti-VEGF in cases of non-tractional diabetic DME, only the type of macular edema and the presence of subretinal fluid were with significant association with the functional response in this study. Further larger studies with longer duration are needed