Efficacy of Intravitreal Triamcinolone Acetonide for Eyes with Postvitrectomy Diabetic Vitreous Hemorrhage

PURPOSE To evaluate the efficacy of intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide (IVT) for the management of postvitrectomy diabetic vitreous hemorrhage. METHODS The authors conducted a retrospective study of patients with postvitrectomy diabetic vitreous hemorrhage who were administered 4 mg (0.1 cc) of triamcinolone acetonide ophthalmic suspension. Ocular history, adverse events, BCVA, intraocular pressure, external eye examination, slit-lamp biomicroscopy, fundus examination, B-scan ultrasonography, and fundus photography were assessed on day 1, weeks 1, 2, and 4 and months 2 and 3. RESULTS There were 19 eyes of 18 consecutive patients with mean follow-up after IVT injection of 28 weeks. Of the 19 eyes, 17 eyes (89%) experienced clearing of vitreous hemorrhage within 1 to 5 weeks (mean, 1.7 weeks) with visible triamcinolone precipitates along with blood clot in the inferior aspect of fundus. Of these 17 eyes, 12 eyes (63%) maintained vitreous hemorrhage-free condition at last follow-up with a mean visual acuity of 20/63 (range, 20/320 20/25), whereas 5 (29%) developed recurrent vitreous hemorrhage after clearing of vitreous hemorrhage. Vitreous hemorrhage was not cleared in 2 eyes, which required surgical procedures. CONCLUSIONS IVT injection may be beneficial for clearing recurrent postvitrectomy Diabetic Vitreous Hemorrhage.