Effect of intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide injection on central macular thickness in diabetic patients having phacoemulsification

PURPOSE: To assess the effect of intraoperative intravitreal injection of triamcinolone acetonide on the central macular thickness, visual outcomes, and development of cystoid macular edema (CME) after phacoemulsification in diabetic patients. SETTING: Farabi Eye Hospital, Tehran, Iran. METHODS: In this prospective randomized controlled study, patients with diabetes were randomly assigned to a treatment group, which received an intravitreal injection of triamcinolone acetonide at the end of phacoemulsification, and a control group, which had routine phacoemulsification. Visual acuity, center-point thickness, central 1.0 mm subfield mean thickness, CME development, and diabetic retinopathy progression were compared between the 2 groups 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively. RESULTS: The treatment group comprised 20 eyes and the control group, 21 eyes. There was no statistically significant difference between the 2 groups in the mean corrected distance visual acuity at any follow-up examination (P>.05). The mean change in center-point thickness and central 1.0 mm subfield mean thickness was statistically significantly lower in the treatment group than in the control group at all follow-up visits (P<.05). Four eyes in the control group and no eye in the treatment group developed CME (P=.059). Three eyes (15%) in the treatment group developed an intraocular pressure rise that was managed by topical medication. CONCLUSIONS: Intravitreal injection of triamcinolone reduced the amount of increase in center-point thickness and central 1.0 mm subfield mean thickness after phacoemulsification in eyes of diabetic patients. Although it also reduced the incidence of CME, it had no effect on visual acuity gain.