ABSTRACT
Aim: The aim of the study was to assess the effect of combined phacoemulsification and single intraoperative intravitrealinjection of bevacizumab on the central macular thickness (CMT) in diabetic patients.Materials and Methods: A prospective observational study was conducted on 30 eyes with diabetic retinopathy from February2018 to February 2019. All patients underwent thorough ophthalmic evaluation. Phacoemulsification performed by a singlesurgeon using either 0.5% topical proparacaine eye drops or sub-tenon local anesthesia as per the preference of the surgeonin individual case. Bevacizumab 0.05 ml (1.25 mg) was injected intravitreal using a 30-gauge needle through the pars planainto the vitreous cavity after intraocular lens implantation. Patients were followed postoperatively at day 1 then at 1 week and1 month, respectively, for recording the CMT and best corrected visual acuity at 1 month postoperatively.Results: The mean CMT for all the patients at post-operative day 1 and month 1 was 277.96 ± 142.40 μm and 289.50 ± 155.74 μm,respectively. Patients with <10 years of diabetes had mean CMT of 329.09 μm and 318.90 μm, at post-operative day 1 and at1 month, respectively, while those with diabetes more than 10 years had mean CMT of 248.36 μm and 272.47 μm, respectively.In mild non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR) and stable proliferative diabetic retinopathy group no significant worseningoccurred in CMT thickness, while in moderate NPDR, four out of 13 cases showed significant increase in CMT (>10%) at 1 month. Insevere NPDR, out of 4 cases 1 case showed significant increase in CMT while other three cases showed modest reduction of CMT.Conclusion: Intravitreal administration of 1.25 mg bevacizumab at the time of cataract surgery is a safe and effective way inavoiding new onset maculopathy in diabetic retinopathy patients. It is also effective to treat pre-existing clinically significantmacular edema and prevent its progression to some extent in few cases.