Aflibercept plus micropulse laser versus aflibercept monotherapy for diabetic macular edema: 1-year results of a randomized clinical trial

Purpose: To evaluate the role of adjuvant micropulse laser with aflibercept injections in the management of treatment naive center involving DME, looking at decreased treatment burden and increased efficacy as outcomes after 1 year. Methods: This was a prospective, single center, randomized trial that included 40 eyes (40 patients) with previously untreated center involved DME. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either aflibercept plus micropulse laser (group A) or aflibercept monotherapy (group B). Results: Overall, 40 patients were included in the study; they were randomized into either group A (aflibercept + micropulse; 20 patients) or group B (aflibercept monotherapy; 20 patients). The mean number of injections after the loading dose was 4.5 ± 1.4 in group A and was 5.4 ± 1.7 in group B, and the difference between both groups was statistically significant (P = 0.029). Conclusion: Adding 577-nm micropulse laser to aflibercept is effective for treatment naïve DME and is associated with decreased number of injections.