Switching to Conbercept in Diabetic Macular Edema After Unsatisfactory Response to Previous Intravitreal Injection of Ranibizumab

Objective: To assess the functional and anatomical effects of transitioning to conbercept intravitreal injection (IVC) treatment in patients with diabetic macular edema (DME) who had inadequate responses to prior anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) injections.Methods: We retrospectively included eyes with persistent DME after at least 3 injections of intravitreal ranibizumab (IVR). The analysis included the assessment of best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central macular thickness (CMT) during 6 months after the switch.Results: A total of 30 patients (30 eyes) were included. CMT dropped sharply from 437.8 +/- 40.67 mu m at baseline to 363.59 +/- 45.09,312.52 +/- 39.15, 278.51 +/- 37.92, and 292.59 +/- 38.09 after 1, 2, 3 and 6 months of IVC, respectively (p <0.001). BCVA in log MAR units was significantly improved from 0.73 +/- 0.15 at baseline to 0.50 +/- 0.09,0.46 +/- 0.72, 0.40 +/- 0.06 and 0.48 +/- 0.04 after 1, 2, 3 and 6 months, respectively (p <0.001).Conclusion: Switching to Conbercept effectively improved visual and anatomical structure in DME patients who had not responded satisfactorily to previous anti-VEGF injections.