Visual outcomes in Patients with Diabetic Macular Oedema undergoing Cataract Surgery with or without Intravitreal Bevacizumab

Aims: To evaluate the efficacy of a single intravitreal bevacizumab injection after cataract surgery for the management of postoperative decrease in vision in patients with diabetic macular oedema.Methods: In this randomised controlled open-label parallel group study of 60 patients with diabetic macular oedema and lens opacity (grade ≥3), 30 eyes received a single intravitreal bevacizumab injection after cataract surgery, and 30 control eyes did not receive bevacizumab. The primary endpoint was change in best-corrected visual acuity 6 weeks after operation compared with that at baseline using the Snellen visual acuity chart.Results: Postoperative visual acuity was significantly different between the group receiving bevacizumab and the control group (p<0.005). All patients in the bevacizumab group had postoperative visual acuities above 6/18 with 27 patients having visual acuities of 6/12 or better compared with 6 patients in the control group. None of the patients in the bevacizumab group had visual acuities less than 6/18 compared with 11 patients in the control group.Conclusion: Intravitreal bevacizumab after cataract surgery appears to be beneficial for preventing postoperative visual loss in eyes with diabetic retinopathy by reducing the risk of macular thickening.