Intravitreal aflibercept appears more beneficial in DME with serous retinal detachment

In the first 3 months of anti-VEGF therapy in patients with treatment-naive diabetic macular edema (DME) with serous retinal detachment (SRD), intravitreal aflibercept appears to be the more useful option, particularly in regard to the reduction of central retinal thickness (CRT) and SRD height, according to a study.

After 6 months, aflibercept, ranibizumab, and bevacizumab therapies perform similarly.

This retrospective, comparative study included a total of 86 eyes of 86 patients with DME and SRD, of which 23 patients were treated with ranibizumab, 28 patients with aflibercept, and 35 patients with bevacizumab. All patients were treated once a month for a 3-month loading dose, followed by additional intravitreal treatments when necessary.  There was no difference between groups in mean best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), CRT, and SRD height.

The mean decrease in CRT and SRD height in the aflibercept group during the first 3 months were significantly more than in the other 2 groups (P < 0.05 for all) but the differences did not exist at 6 months.

Reference
Sirakaya E, Kilic D, Aslan Sirakaya H. Comparison of intravitreal ranibizumab, aflibercept and bevacizumab therapies in diabetic macular edema with serous retinal detachment. Eur J Ophthalmol. 2022;11206721221144797. doi: 10.1177/11206721221144797. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36482707.