A multicentre randomised clinical trial of laser treatment plus intravitreal traimcilone for diabetic macular oedema [ 2005 - 2008 ]

Research Grant

Researchers: Dr Ronald Gillies (Principal investigator) ,  Prof Ian Mcallister ,  Prof Tien Wong

Brief description A diagnosis of diabetes immediately confers a 25 fold increase in a person's risk of blindness. The macula is the vision centre of the retina, which is like the film in a camera. In people with diabetes, swelling of the macula (macular oedema) due to leakage of retinal blood vessels is the commonest cause of loss of vision. Laser treatment is proven to be helpful in reducing the risk of vision loss in eyes with diabetic macular oedema (DMO), but it does not work in 40% of cases. Injection of slow release steroids is an emerging revolutionary treatment for DMO. We are the first in the world to perform a randomised clinical trial of triamcinolone injection into the eye with DMO that has failed laser treatment. A randomised clinical trial is when an equal number of eyes are randomly allocated to the treatment and placebo (no treatment) groups, so that none of the patients or the doctors knows whether each particular eye is receiving treatment or placebo. The preliminary results of our study in progress have proved that, at least in the short term, intravitreal triamcinolone (IVTA) leads to reduction of macular oedema and improved vision. We now propose a two year randomised clinical trial to test whether the combination of IVTA with laser treatment will result in a further improvement in vision in eyes with DMO. We are in a unique position to conduct such a study, having recently concluded the world's first randomised clinical trial of IVTA for wet age-related macular degeneration in 151 eyes. We have extensive experience of IVTA's significant but manageable adverse event profile. The Australian Retinal Collaboration is a group of academic retinal specialists who are committed to attaining the highest possible standards in clinical research in Australia for common blinding conditions of the retina. The results of the proposed study are likely to lead directly to a reduction of the risk of vision impairment and blindness in people with diabetes.

Funding Amount $AUD 529,500.00

Funding Scheme NHMRC Project Grants

Notes Standard Project Grant