Intensive topical interferon therapy in uveitic macular edema

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of intensive topical interferon alfa-2b (IFN) therapy in uveitic macular edema (UME). METHODS: This is a prospective, interventional case study of eyes with UME. Commercially available injection IFN for subcutaneous use was reconstituted to form eye drops and a dose of 6 times/day for 2 weeks, 5 times/day for next 2 weeks, followed by 4, 3, 2, 1 taper per month was prescribed. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) and clinical examination was done at 0, 2, 4, 8 weeks, and further as required. RESULTS: Nine eyes of 9 patients with UME were studied. Mean central macular thickness (CMT) at presentation was 522.2 mm (range: 408–803 mm). At 2-week, 1-month, and 2-month follow-up, mean CMT decreased to 451.6 mm (range: 322–524 mm), 375.8 mm (range: 287–480 mm), and 360.3 mm (range: 260–485 mm), respectively. Four eyes which showed inadequate response to previous topical IFN therapy (4 times/day) showed significant improvement with intensive therapy at 1 month follow-up. In 4 eyes, UME resolved completely with mean CMT 285.5 mm (range: 260–312 mm) at 7.5 weeks (range: 4–12 weeks). Study exit was seen in 2 cases due to inadequate response and relapse of uveitis. Mean follow up was 3.38 months (range: 1–5 months). CONCLUSION: Intensive topical IFN therapy can be an alternative therapeutic option in the treatment of UME. Study of intraocular penetration, combination with other drugs, and the efficacy of IFN separately for different uveitic entities may explore new avenues in treatment of UME.