Add-On Effect of Simultaneous Intravitreal Dexamethasone to Intravitreal Bevacizumab in Patients with Macular Edema Secondary to Branch Retinal Vein Occlusion.

To report the effect of simultaneous dexamethasone and bevacizumab combination treatment in patients with macular edema secondary to branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO). Treatment-naive patients who had a macular edema secondary to BRVO with a duration of less than 1 month were treated either with intravitreal bevacizumab (Group-1) or intravitreal bevacizumab simultaneously combined with dexamethasone intravitreal implant (Group-2). In both groups, patients received monthly bevacizumab injection during the first 3 months. Between months 3 and 12, all patients were allowed to receive pro-re-nata bevacizumab. In Group-2, the first dexamethasone implant injection was simultaneously received with first bevacizumab injections. The patients were evaluated for re-treatment after 6 months and 11 months for second and third dexamethasone simultaneously with intravitreal bevacizumab. In Group-1, 35 eyes of 35 patients and in Group-2, 32 eyes of 32 patients were treated. The mean gains in BCVA were +10.7 letters in the Group-1 and +21.3 letters in the Group-2 ( = 0.021) at month 12. The mean reduction in Central Macular Thickness (CMT) from the baseline were -173.74 μm in the Group-1 and -257.97 μm in the Group-2 ( = 0.0018). In Group-1, the mean intravitreal bevacizumab injection number was 7.18 ± 1.05. In Group-2, the mean intravitreal bevacizumab and dexamethasone injection number was 5.15 ± 1.24. There was a significant difference in mean injection numbers between 2 groups ( = 0.044). In the early period of macular edema adding dexamethasone to bevacizumab therapy does improve visual acuity and CMT, and reduce the injection frequency more than bevacizumab alone.