The effect of a 0.1% bromfenac solution on diabetic macular edema

Purpose: The short-term outcomes of patients with diabetic macular edema (DME) treated with 0.1% Bromfenac eyedrops were evaluated. Methods: We included 14 eyes of 14 patients diagnosed with persistent macular edema after intravitreal bevacizumab injection to treat DME. Bromfenac sodium hydrate 0.9 mg/mL eyedrops were administered to the affected eye twice daily for 3 months. The best corrected visual acuity (BVCA) and central macular thickness (CMT) were measured before treatment and at 1, 2, and 3 months after treatment. We noted no adverse drug reaction such as corneal toxicity. Results: After 2 months of intravitreal bevacizumab and before Bromfenac eyedrops treatment, the logarithm of the minimal angle of resolution (logMAR) BCVA and the CMT were 0.40 ± 0.29 and 337 ± 97.3 μm, respectively. The logMAR BCVA decreased from 0.40 ± 0.29 to 0.39 ± 0.29 after 1 month, to 0.38 ± 0.24 after 2 months, and to 0.34 ± 0.21 after 3 months of Bromfenac treatment, but statistical significance was not attained (p = 0.93, p = 0.62, and p = 0.36 respectively). The CMT improved significantly from 337 ± 97.3 μm to 331 ± 67.9 μm after 1 month, 311 ± 89.1 μm after 2 months, and 282.9 ± 76.7 μm after 3 months (p = 0.47, p = 0.08, and p = 0.04, respectively). Treatment was well-tolerated; we noted no topical or systemic side-effect. Conclusions: Topical bromfenac may play a useful role in terms of reducing DME.