Subconjunctival injections of triamcinolone acetonide to treat uveitic macular edema

AIM: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of subconjunctival triamcinolone acetonide (TA) injections for treating uveitic macular edema (UME). METHODS: This retrospective case series study included patients with UME who received subconjunctival TA injections with a minimum follow-up period of 6mo. The main outcome measure was central macular thickness (CMT). The secondary outcome measures included best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), recurrence rate and intraocular pressure (IOP). RESULTS: In total, 65 patients (80 eyes), mainly including idiopathic uveitis in 33 patients (50.77%) and VogtKoyanagi-Harada (VKH) syndrome in 19 patients (29.23%), were enrolled in this study. The mean CMT decreased from 457.6 +/- 173.0 mu m at baseline to 325.9 +/- 176.8, 302.7 +/- 148.2, 332.2 +/- 177.3 and 270.6 +/- 121.6 mu m at 1-, 2-, 3-and 6-months postinjection, respectively (all P<0.001). BCVA increased from logMAR 0.5 +/- 0.3 at baseline to logMAR 0.4 +/- 0.3, 0.4 +/- 0.3, 0.4 +/- 0.4 and 0.4 +/- 0.3 at the 1-, 2-, 3-and 6-months postinjection visits, respectively (all P<0.001). Twenty-one (21/80, 26.25%) eyes underwent relapse of UME within 6mo. A total of 20/80 (25%) eyes exhibited elevated IOPs, of which 13 eyes were controlled with topical IOP-lowering agents and 7 eyes underwent surgical removal of subconjunctival TA deposit. CONCLUSION: Subconjunctival TA injections appear to be safe and effective for UME.