| Summary: | Abstract Purpose To compare real-life data on delayed intravitreal treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME) patients to early treatment. Methods In this single-centre, retrospective, interventional, comparative study, DME patients were divided into two groups based on when they received treatment: Group 1 - received treatment within 24 weeks and Group 2 - at or after 24 weeks from the time of treatment advice. Visual acuity and central subfield thickness (CSFT) changes were compared at various time points. Reasons for delaying treatment were noted. Results The study included 109 (Group 1–94; Group 2–15) eyes. When treatment was advised, demographic profile, diabetes duration, glucose control and VA between two groups were comparable. At this point, CSFT was higher in Group 1 than in Group 2 (p = 0.036). At injection time, Group 2 had better VA and lower CSFT than Group 1 (p < 0.05). Group 2’s VA (53.4 ± 12.67) was significantly lower than Group 1’s (57.38 ± 20.01) after 1-year treatment. At 1-year, CSFT decreased in Group 1 and increased in Group 2. Group 1 had mean improvement of + 7.6 letters and Group 2 had a decline of -6.9 letters. Group 2 required more intravitreal anti-VEGF (median – 3; IQR: 2–4), steroid injections (median – 4; IQR: 2–4) and focal laser sessions (median – 4; IQR: 2–4). Conclusion Late-treated DME eyes needed more injections and focal laser sessions than early treated eyes. Adherence to early treatment of DME in real-life will help prevent long-term vision loss.
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