The efficacy of micropulse laser combined with ranibizumab in diabetic macular edema treatment: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: At present, intraocular injection of anti-VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) drugs has replaced traditional laser therapy as the first-line treatment for DME (diabetic macular edema). However, ranibizumab, a commonly used anti-VEGF drug, is expensive and requires multiple intraocular injections. It places a heavy economic burden on patients with DME. Micropulse laser is safer than conventional laser and can reduce edema. Combined treatment with anti-VEGF may reduce the number of intraocular injections. This study will compare the efficacy of micropulse laser combined with ranibizumab treatment to ranibizumab monotherapy in the treatment of DME, providing a new regimen for future DME treatment. METHODS: This study is a prospective randomized double-blind controlled clinical trial (RCT) in patients with DME. After 1-year follow-up, visual acuity and macular edema regression will be compared between micropulse laser combined with ranibizumab group and ranibizumab monotherapy group to determine whether the efficacy of micropulse laser combined with ranibizumab treatment was not lower than that of ranibizumab monotherapy in the treatment of DME. Visual acuity measured by the ETDRS chart is the primary outcome measure. The secondary outcome measures are CMT (central macular thickness) measured by OCT (optical coherence tomography) and the number of injections of two groups. Changes in visual acuity and CMT of the two groups will be compared at 12-month follow-up. Before patients are recruited, we provide them with informed consent, in which we explain to them the purpose and process of the study. DISCUSSION: Micropulse laser combined with anti-VEGF drugs in the treatment of DME can reduce the number of intravitreal anti-VEGF injections, not only relieve the pain of the patients, but also ease the economic and psychological burden of patients, bringing great benefits. However, there is no treatment consensus for the parameters and specific methods of micropulse laser treatment for DME. There is a lack of clinical research data reference of micropulse laser combined with anti-VEGF therapy in clinical practice. This study intends to provide a new direction for clinical DME treatment and also provide a realistic consideration for the application of micropulse laser in DME treatment. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03690947. Registered on 1 October 2018. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13063-022-06593-2.