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<article article-type="research-article" dtd-version="1.3" xml:lang="en">
  <front>
    <journal-meta>
      <journal-title-group>
        <journal-title>Czech and Slovak Ophthalmology</journal-title>
      </journal-title-group>
    </journal-meta>
    <article-meta>
      <article-id pub-id-type="publisher-id">350</article-id>
      <article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.31348/2025/4</article-id>
      <article-categories>
        <subj-group>
          <subject>Original article</subject>
        </subj-group>
      </article-categories>
      <title-group>
        <article-title>Efficacy and Safety of Intravitreal Dexamethasone Implant in Treatment-Resistant Diabetic Macular Edema: Six-month Results</article-title>
      </title-group>
      <contrib-group>
        <contrib contrib-type="author">
          <name>
            <surname>Berhuni</surname>
            <given-names>Mustafa</given-names>
          </name>
          <contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid">https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5725-2634</contrib-id>
        </contrib>
        <contrib contrib-type="author">
          <name>
            <surname>Yılmaz</surname>
            <given-names>İbrahim Edhem</given-names>
          </name>
          <contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid">https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1154-425X</contrib-id>
        </contrib>
        <contrib contrib-type="author">
          <name>
            <surname>Soysal</surname>
            <given-names>Gizem Gürbostan</given-names>
          </name>
          <contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid">https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6314-9246</contrib-id>
        </contrib>
        <contrib contrib-type="author">
          <name>
            <surname>Özcan</surname>
            <given-names>Zeynep Özer</given-names>
          </name>
          <contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid">https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6143-6041</contrib-id>
        </contrib>
        <contrib contrib-type="author">
          <name>
            <surname>Doğan</surname>
            <given-names>Levent</given-names>
          </name>
          <contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid">https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4849-3698</contrib-id>
        </contrib>
      </contrib-group>
      <pub-date date-type="pub" publication-format="electronic">
        <day>17</day>
        <month>1</month>
        <year>2025</year>
      </pub-date>
      <issue>3</issue>
      <elocation-id>5</elocation-id>
      <abstract>
        <p>Aims: To investigate the efficacy and safety of intravitreal Dexamethasone implant (DEX-I) therapy in the treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME) refractory to intravitreal bevacizumab (IVB). Material and methods: This retrospective and cross-sectional study included 37 eyes of 37 patients who received 3 loading doses of IVB injections for DME with no response and underwent DEX-I implant. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), intraocular pressure (IOP) measurements and central foveal thickness (CFT) measured by spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) were recorded and compared before DEX-I, at the first week, first, second, third and sixth months. Duration of DME, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels, DME types and lens status (phakic, pseudophakic) were also recorded. Results: The mean age of the patients was 61.14 ±8.69 years (59.5% male, 40.5% female). 35.1% of the patients had cystoid macular edema, 64.9% had diffuse macular edema and 73 % were phakic and 27% were pseudophakic. BCVA, CFT and IOP values before DEX-I injection were 0.78 ±0.16 LogMAR, 493.73 ±107.6 µm and 13.05 ±2.59 mmHg, respectively. At 6 months after DEX-I, BCVA, CFT and IOP values were 0.64 ±0.11 LogMAR, 397.35 ±59.72 µm and 16.3 ±2.51 mmHg, respectively. In all follow-ups, there was a significant improvement in BCVA, a significant decrease in CFT and a significant increase in IOP compared to pre-injection. Ocular hypertension was observed in 0.8 % of patients and progression of cataract progression in 1% of patients after treatment. Conclusion: DEX-I therapy is an effective and safe treatment option for DME refractory to IVB treatment.</p>
      </abstract>
      <kwd-group>
        <kwd>Dexamethasone implant</kwd>
        <kwd>bevacizumab</kwd>
        <kwd>diabetic macular edema</kwd>
        <kwd>intraocular pressure</kwd>
        <kwd>cataract</kwd>
      </kwd-group>
    </article-meta>
  </front>
  <back>
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</article>
