Effects of intravitreal erythropoietin therapy for patients with chronic and progressive diabetic macular edema.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the effects of intravitreal injections of erythropoietin in eyes with severe, chronic diabetic macular edema, 5 eyes of 5 patients underwent injections of rHuEPO alpha (EPO).


METHODS
All eyes had progressive vision loss and persistent or worsening edema with prior multi-modal treatment. EPO (5U/50 microL) was injected intravitreally every 6 weeks for three doses and followed for an additional 6 weeks with complete ocular examinations, fluorescein angiography, optical coherence tomography (OCT), and central field acuity perimetry.


RESULTS
Visual acuity of all patients was subjectively improved by 3 or more lines in 3 eyes and 1 line in 2 eyes. Visual acuity improved to a larger extent than anatomic improvement by OCT. Clearing of hard exudates but only minor improvement in leakage on fluorescein angiography was observed. Improvement in vision occurred within 1 week after the first injection and was maintained until the end point of the current case series (at 18 weeks after the first injection).


CONCLUSIONS
This case series seems to show a short-term positive response to EPO for a specific group of patients with chronic diabetic macular edema who were unresponsive to currently available therapies.
Department of Ophthalmology, Drexel University College of Medicine, 219 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA.
Weiye
W
Li
Stephen H
SH
Sinclair
Guo-Tong
GT
Xu
D000368:Aged; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003930:Diabetic Retinopathy / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D018450:Disease Progression; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005654:Fundus Oculi; D006801:Humans; D007267:Injections; D008269:Macular Edema / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D013997:Time Factors; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014792:Visual Acuity; D014822:Vitreous Body
D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D004921:Erythropoietin