Eye drop with difluprednate for macular edema treatment

Abstract

The present invention aims to provide an eye drop for treating macular edema. The present invention provides an eye drop for treating macular edema, which contains difluprednate as an active ingredient. The eye drop can afford effects such as improvement of visual acuity and decreased foveal retinal thickness in macular edema.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to an eye drop containing difluprednate as an active ingredient for treating macular edema.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Macular edema is swelling of retinal macula, and the edema occurs due to a liquid diapedesis from the retinal blood vessels. The blood leaks from weak blood vessel walls and enters into extremely small regions of retinal macula rich in retina cone which is a nerve terminal that detects color and the vision during the day relies on. Next, images become blurred in the center of the central field or right beside the center. The visual acuity decreases progressively for months. Diabetic retinopathy, retinal blood vessel obstruction, ocular inflammation and age-related macular degeneration are all associated with the macular edema. Retinal macula is sometimes damaged by maculatumentia after removal of crystalline lens for the treatment of cataract.[0003]As the conventional therapy of macular edema, ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008]According to the present invention, macular edema can be treated with an eye drop. Particularly, the eye drop of the present invention is useful for treating refractory macular edema.

Problems solved by technology

If the fovea should be injured by this surgery, the central visual field may be damaged.

While vitreous surgery is applied to a case for which a laser surgery is ineffective, it is associated with high tissue-invasive potential, sometimes causing problems of post-surgery complications.

While systemic administration of steroid is possible for the treatment of ocular diseases, in general, it often causes side effects which are too severe for ophthalmologic uses.

Although intravitreal administration can solve some problems associated with systemic administration, intravitreal administration of existing ophthalmic compositions can cause ocular hypertension, steroid glaucoma and posterior subcapsular cataract when steroid is administered.

While administration of steroid decreases the tissue-invasive potential as compared to vitreous surgery, it is still associated with the problems of post-surgery complications.

However, only few cases of effectiveness of instillation for macular edema of the retina in clinical practice have been reported, and there is only one report of volume reduction of retinal macular edema by administration of 0.1% betamethasone ophthalmic solution for 2 weeks to one month, 6 times per day (The 43rd Annual Congress of Japanese Retina and Vitreous Society 016-5, 2004).

Thus, the treatment of macular edema by eye drop has not been performed.