title: Safety and Efficacy of Intravitreal Preservative-Free Triamcinolone Acetonide (Triesence) for Macular Edema.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the efficacy and safety of preservative-free triamcinolone acetonide (Triesence) for the treatment of macular edema.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective study was conducted on patients who attended a tertiary retinal clinic from June 2009 to July 2012 with macular edema due to various causes. Patients who received at least 1 intravitreal Triesence injection and completed 6 months of follow-up were recruited. Data, including best-corrected Snellen visual acuity, central macular thickness (CMT), intraocular pressure (IOP), and adverse events (AEs), were collected at baseline, week 1, month 1, month 3, and month 6 after initiation of treatment. Snellen visual acuity was converted to visual acuity score (VAS) for statistical analysis using paired t-tests and linear regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One hundred two eyes from 102 patients were included in the study. Mean VAS was significantly improved at all follow-up time points compared to baseline (P≤0.002), with highest mean gain at month 1 (6.1±8.9 letters). Mean CMT decreased significantly at all follow-up points compared to baseline (P≤0.0005), with the greatest reduction at week 1 (146.6±109.4 μm). A total of 22 AEs were observed, and IOP elevation was the most common AE related to Triesence treatment (17/22, 77.3%). No sterile or infectious endophthalmitis was observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Intravitreal Triesence improves visual acuity and reduces macular thickness in eyes with macular edema from various causes. Treatment-associated IOP elevation was manageable with antiglaucoma medications. There were no serious vision-threatening complications associated with intravitreal Triesence therapy during the study period.
authors.affiliation: 1 Sydney Retina Clinic and Day Surgery , Sydney, Australia .|2 Save Sight Institute, Department of Clinical Ophthalmology and Eye Health, The University of Sydney , Sydney, Australia .
authors.forename: Andrew A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: 1 Sydney Retina Clinic and Day Surgery , Sydney, Australia .
authors.forename: Haitao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: 1 Sydney Retina Clinic and Day Surgery , Sydney, Australia .|2 Save Sight Institute, Department of Clinical Ophthalmology and Eye Health, The University of Sydney , Sydney, Australia .
authors.forename: Geoffrey K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Broadhead
authors.affiliation: 3 Department of Statistics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Macquarie University , Sydney, Australia .
authors.forename: Kehui
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: 2 Save Sight Institute, Department of Clinical Ophthalmology and Eye Health, The University of Sydney , Sydney, Australia .
authors.forename: Meidong
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D007429:Intraocular Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D058449:Intravitreal Injections; D016014:Linear Models; D008269:Macular Edema / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014222:Triamcinolone Acetonide / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D005938:Glucocorticoids; D014222:Triamcinolone Acetonide