Evidence mapPaperPMID 41239159Full record

ArticleOphthalmology and therapy2026

Beyond Vision: Prospective Real-World Evaluation of Quality-of-Life and Caregiver Burden in Diabetic Macular Edema Treated with Fluocinolone Acetonide (Iluvien

João Alves-Ambrósio, Pedro Cardoso Teixeira, Mariana Garcia, João Chibante-Pedro, Miguel Ruão

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Article in Ophthalmology and therapy, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

João Alves-Ambrósio *Ophthalmology Department, Unidade Local de Saúde Entre Douro e Vouga, Rua Dr. Cândido Pinho 5, 4520-211, Santa Maria da Feira, Portugal. alvesambrosio.joao@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2009-5126
Pedro Cardoso Teixeira *Ophthalmology Department, Unidade Local de Saúde Entre Douro e Vouga, Rua Dr. Cândido Pinho 5, 4520-211, Santa Maria da Feira, Portugal.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0253-5570
Mariana GarciaOphthalmology Department, Unidade Local de Saúde Entre Douro e Vouga, Rua Dr. Cândido Pinho 5, 4520-211, Santa Maria da Feira, Portugal.
João Chibante-PedroOphthalmology Department, Unidade Local de Saúde Entre Douro e Vouga, Rua Dr. Cândido Pinho 5, 4520-211, Santa Maria da Feira, Portugal.
Miguel RuãoOphthalmology Department, Unidade Local de Saúde Entre Douro e Vouga, Rua Dr. Cândido Pinho 5, 4520-211, Santa Maria da Feira, Portugal.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0858-0164

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionDiabetic macular edema (DME) imposes a substantial clinical and psychosocial burden on patients and caregivers due to frequent visits and intravitreal treatments. The fluocinolone acetonide intravitreal implant (Iluvien

methodsProspective, real-world observational study of 41 patients with previously treated DME. Assessments occurred at baseline and at 6, 12, 18, 24, and 30 months. Outcomes included best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), central macular thickness (CMT), IOP, and National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire-25 (NEI VFQ-25) composite scores. Burden metrics included clinic visits per year and caregiver accompaniment/absenteeism.

resultsAt baseline, mean BCVA was 0.42 ± 0.30 logMAR, CMT 415.8 ± 106.5 µm, IOP 16.6 ± 4.1 mmHg, and NEI VFQ-25 67.6 ± 16.4; 46.3% of patients required caregiver accompaniment, and 61% reported pre-injection anxiety (median duration 2 days). At last follow-up, mean BCVA improved to 0.29 ± 0.26 logMAR (≈+6-7 ETDRS letters; p < 0.001), CMT decreased to 368.1 ± 79.6 µm (p = 0.002), and IOP remained stable at 16.7 ± 4.1 mmHg. The NEI VFQ-25 increased to 77.0 ± 18.0, with a significant main effect of time (repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA), p = 0.001; partial η

conclusionsIn a prospective real-world setting, Iluvien was associated with durable improvements in vision, macular anatomy, and QoL, with stable IOP. Treatment reduced the frequency of clinic visits and procedures, alleviating patient burden and caregiver absenteeism. These findings support Iluvien as a patient-centered, long-acting therapy for chronic DME and motivate multicenter validation and health-economic studies that incorporate caregiver outcomes.

Indexed as

Caregiver burdenDiabetic retinopathyFluocinolone acetonideGlobal burden of diseaseIntraocular pressureIntravitreal injectionsMacular edemaNational Eye Institute (US)Psychological well-beingQuality of life

Identifiers

PMID41239159
PMCPMC12882914

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