To evaluate the efficacy of intravitreal propranolol for the management of clinically significant macular edema (CSME) and assess whether it has an additive effect with intravitreal bevacizumab or not

We randomized 23 patients into 2 groups. The first group received 250µg/0.1ml intravitreal bevacizumab and in the other one 50µg /0.05ml, propranolol administered intravitreally in combination with 0.125µg/0.05ml bevacizumab. The response to the treatment was evaluated by measurement of BCVA and central macular thickness in the OCT

Baseline BCVA was 0.62±0.31 in the group1(who received the combination of Avastin and propranolol) and 0.45±0.14 in the group 2(which received only Avastin). the difference between the two groups was not significant (P=0.07). One month after injection, improvement of BCVA was not significant in both groups (0.07 log MAR ±0.18 in the 1st group, P=0.11 and 0.03±0.20 log MAR in the 2nd group=0.56). Baseline average CMT was 470±142.14 µm in the 1st group and 455.00±151.44 in the 2nd one. The difference between them was not markedly noticeable. One month after injection the value of CMT was significantly decreased in both groups (65.73±47.90 µm, P<0.001 in the 1st group and 69.46±83.14 in the latter one). there was no statistically remarkable difference between the two groups (P=0.88).

This study showed no different effect in terms of reducing CMT and improvement of BCVA in the eyes treated with bevacizumab compared with the ones treated with a combination of bevacizumab and propranolol.