Purpose: To compare the effectiveness of dexamethasone (DEX) intravitreal implants for the treatment of diabetic macular edema between phakic and pseudophakic eyes after a follow-up. Methods: A total of 79 eyes in 79 patients with diabetic macular edema who were insufficiently responsive to the previous anti-vascular endothelial growth factor treatment and applied intravitreal DEX implant were included in this retrospective study. The patients were divided into two groups according to their type of lenses: pseudophakic (group 1) and phakic (group 2).Best-corrected visual acuity, intraocular pressure (IOP), retinal nerve fiber layer thickness, and central macular thickness changes in the two groups were compared. Results: Group 1 comprised 42 eyes in 42 patients with a mean age of 64.02 ± 3.79 years, while group 2 comprised 37 eyes in 37 patients with a mean age of 64.19 ± 5.08 years. In both groups, best-corrected visual acuity improved significantly with a significant decrease in central macular thickness (p < 0.001). In both lens types, the IOP values decreased significantly on the first day but subsequently increased significantly compared to baseline from one week to six months. Increases in IOP values were significantly higher in group 1 at the first week, 1st month, and 6th month compared with group 2. During follow-up, the inferior quadrant retinal nerve fiber layer showed a significant decrease in both groups. Conclusions In both phakic and pseudophakic eyes, intravitreal DEX implantation is an effective treatment method with low-risk complications. In our study, the pseudophakic group experienced a significantly earlier increase in IOP and at higher levels than did the phakic group. In light of these data, we suggest that in patients with pseudophakic eyes, follow-ups for IOP should be stricter and started earlier after intravitreal DEX treatment.

The aim of our study was to evaluate the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract side effect profile in 759 female patients that had taken alendronate (10 mg/day), for at least 6 months, for the treatment of osteoporosis, in relation to the safety of alendronate and the compliance of patients to its absorption rules. This study was a multicentered retrospective, clinical, non- placebo controlled, study of 759 female subjects carried out at 26 centres in 6 different regions of Turkey. The mean age of our patients was 62.6+/-8.6, with 51.2%in the age range 60 to 69 years. 158 patients (20.8%) were considered to have upper GI tract complaints with nausea as the most often encountered symptom. Of the subjects with upper GI tract complaints, 20% reported discontinued drug use, and 30% reported the requirement of an additional drug in order to abolish their complaints. Approximately 537 (71%) of the patients stated they had been given written information about the administration of the drug, and at least 93 patients (12%) and 73 patients (18.4%) acknowledged non compliance with the safety and absorption rules, respectively. In our study, no significant difference was found between the adherence to the safety measures and upper GI tract complaints (p > 0.05), but that upper GI tract complaints were higher in patients taking additional medication to alendronate (p < 0.05).
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Alendronate/*adverse effects ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Diseases/*chemically induced ; Human ; Middle Aged ; Osteoporosis/*drug therapy ; Retrospective Studies