The effect of intravitreal triamcinolone injection at the end of phacoemulsification surgery on central macular thickness and diabetic retinopathy progression

Purpose: To compare the efficacy of intraoperative intravitreal injection of triamcinolone acetonide with standard phacoemulsification on the central subfield macular thickness CSMT, distance corrected visual acuity CDVA, and the progression of diabetic retinopathy in diabetic patients.

Setting: Al Mouassat university hospital, Damascus University, Damascus, Syria.

Methods: In this prospective single-blinded randomized clinical trial, 50 patients with type 2 diabetes were randomly assigned to one group. The case received an intravitreal injection of triamcinolone acetonide IVTA at the end of phacoemulsification surgery, and the control had routine phacoemulsification surgery without any injection. Central subfield macular thickness CSMT, the progression of diabetic retinopathy DR, corrected distant visual acuity CDVA, intraocular pressure IOP, and adverse events like endophthalmitis, were compared between the 2 groups 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively. CDVA and IOP were compared at one-week post-op as well.