The long-term efficacy and safety of fluocinolone acetonide intravitreal implant 190 μg (ILUVIEN®) in diabetic macular oedema in a multi-ethnic inner-city population

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to report the long-term efficacy and safety of 0.19 mg fluocinolone acetonide intravitreal implant (ILUVIEN ® ) in pseudophakic eyes with diabetic macular oedema in a multi-ethnic patient cohort. Methods: This is a single-centre retrospective analysis of patients with persistent diabetic macular oedema, despite previous anti-vascular endothelial growth factor and/or steroid treatment, treated with the ILUVIEN implant according to national guidelines. Patients with follow-up of less than 24 months were excluded. Best corrected visual acuity, central retinal thickness and intraocular pressure were evaluated at baseline and month 3, 12, 24 and 36 post-treatment. A sub-group analysis was performed on eyes with 36-month follow-up data. Results: In total, 24 eyes (24 patients) completed at least 24 months of follow-up, of which 9 completed 36 months of follow-up. Three-fourths of the patients were black or South Asian (blacks, Asians and minority ethnic). Improvement in mean best corrected visual acuity was seen at year 1 and year 3 improving from 0.62 LogMAR at baseline to 0.55 LogMAR at year 1 and 0.47 LogMAR at year 3 (all p > 0.05). Mean central retinal thickness also showed a progressive reduction from 471 μm at baseline to 397 μm at year 1 and 339 μm at year 3 (all p < 0.05). Four eyes required intraocular pressure–lowering drops post-implant. Supplementary treatment for persistent or recurrent diabetic macular oedema was necessary in 13 eyes over the total study period of 3 years. Blacks, Asians and minority ethnic patients had a worse response compared with white patients. Conclusion: The ILUVIEN implant was effective and safe in the treatment of multi-ethnic patients with diabetic macular oedema refractory to conventional therapies, improving the vision and macular anatomy, without significant adverse events up to 36 months post-treatment.