Long-Term Follow-Up of Patient with Diabetic Macular Edema Receiving Fluocinolone Acetonide Intravitreal Implant

Introduction: This case study aims to evaluate outcomes following fluocinolone acetonide [FAc 0.2 μg/day; ILUVIEN® (Alimera Sciences Limited, Aldershot, UK)] implant in a patient with diabetic macular edema (DME) not responding to laser photocoagulation or anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapy and to compare FAc implant with anti-VEGF therapy in the fellow eye. Case Report: The author presents here a patient with DME for around 20 years in both eyes, who had undergone pan-retinal and focal photocoagulation, and anti-VEGF therapy in both eyes without resolution of DME. FAc implant in the left, and subsequently in the right eye, provided substantial improvements in edema and visual acuity. Conclusion: In the current case, a benefit was demonstrated in the FAc implant-treated left eye at a time when the right eye was not responding to anti-VEGF injections. If a patient does not respond well to an anti-VEGF (i.e. first-line therapy) in one eye, the treating physician should consider switching the patient to a corticosteroid implant (such as FAc implant) in the fellow eye. © 2015, The Author(s).