Why do this study?

Regular intravitreal injections of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are currently the first-line treatment for centrally located diabetic macular edema (DME).

In clinical trials, treat and extend (T&E) and pro re nata (PRN; ‘as needed’) regimens of intravitreal anti-VEGF treatment have been found to reduce the injection burden on patients and improve the cost effectiveness of the treatment of macular edema.

The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a T&E regimen of aflibercept, in a clinical setting, in patients presenting DME either intravitreal anti-VEGF therapy naive or with relapsed DME with minimal exposure (≤ 6 treatments) to anti-VEGF in the previous 12 months.

What did we learn?

At the end of 2 years, 75% of the participants remaining in the study had their treatment intervals extended to the maximum 12 weeks with no signs of disease activity, indicating that a T&E regimen of aflibercept is a practical alternative to PRN treatment with regular review.