Use of bromfenac eye drops in the treatment of diabetic macular edema: a pilot study

Purpose To evaluate the effect of bromfenac eye drops on diabetic macular edema (DME). Methods In this pilot study, 20 eyes of 20 patients with monocular DME were analyzed. Topical bromfenac was administered in the affected eye twice daily for 30 days. Visual acuity (VA) and macular thickness, determined by optical coherence tomography (OCT), were evaluated initially and after 30 days' therapy. Statistical analysis was performed by Student’s t test. Results Pre-treatment mean VA was 0.38±0.2 logMAR and final mean VA was 0.41±0.18 logMAR, a not statistically significant result (p=0.21). Initial mean macular thickness was 476.15±130.16 μm and post-treatment macular thickness was 413.8±161.13 μm, a statistically significant difference (p=0.04). Conclusion The results of this pilot study suggest that topical bromfenac twice daily may play a role in the reduction of DME. This preliminary finding is interesting; however, further larger multi-centre studies are necessary to establish whether, or not, topical bromfenac may be beneficial in the treatment of DME.