Lucedex

In Brief Background: The LuceDex prospective randomized pilot trial compared the combination of intravitreal ranibizumab and dexamethasone with ranibizumab monotherapy for treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration. Methods: Thirty-seven eyes of 37 patients were randomized 1:1 between combination therapy with intravitreal ranibizumab and dexamethasone (Group 1) and intravitreal ranibizumab monotherapy (Group 2). All study eyes received 4 monthly treatments followed by monthly treatment on indication. Results: In the LuceDex study, eyes gained an average of 11.1 and 5.9 Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study letters in Groups 1 and 2, respectively, at Month 12. No more than zero Early Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy Study letters were lost in 88% of Group 1 eyes and 70% of Group 2 eyes. The average number of treatments per study eye by Month 12 was 7.1 in Group 1 and 6.6 in Group 2. Choroidal neovascular membrane size decreased in Group 1 significantly compared with Group 2 (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The LuceDex pilot study suggested a possible benefit of adding intravitreal dexamethasone to treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration with intravitreal ranibizumab. A larger study is needed to further identify and define possible benefits of this combination therapy. LuceDex was a randomized prospective pilot study comparing intravitreal ranibizumab with a combination of ranibizumab and dexamethasone. Choroidal neovascular membrane size decreased significantly by fluorescein angiography in the combination group. Mean visual acuity and macular thickness outcomes were better in the combination group without statistical significance.