Please select the eligibility criteria that correspond to the clinical trial below.
Title: Research Study in Patients With Persistent Macular Edema Due to Diabetic Retinopathy, Retinal Vein Occlusion, Uveitis, or Irvine-Gass Syndrome
Brief Summary: The purpose of this clinical research study is to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of an investigational medication to treat macular edema that persists despite current treatment methods. Participants will be evaluated for improvement in vision and side effects.

Macular edema is a condition that affects the back of the eye (retina). It frequently occurs in people who have a history of diabetes, and is also associated with high blood pressure, uveitis, and previous eye surgery. The main symptom of macular edema is decreased vision, generally a blurring of central vision.

There are no direct costs to participants for assessments and treatment as defined in the study protocol. All candidates must be available for required scheduled visits during the trial's 6-month follow-up period. Although the disease called age-related macular degeneration (AMD) affects the same region of the eye as macular edema, they are not the same condition and AMD is not studied in this research trial.


Options:
A: Inclusion:

* Signed informed consent and authorization of use and disclosure of protected health information
* Age greater than 18 years
* Diagnosis of diabetes mellitus (type 1 or type 2) and serum HbA1c greater than 5.5% within 12 months of randomization
* Retinal thickening secondary to diabetes mellitus (diabetic macular edema) involving the center of the fovea.
* Diagnosis must be confirmed by OCT images
* Foveal thickness of greater than 250, as assessed by OCT
* Best corrected visual acuity score in the study eye of 20/40 to 20/320 inclusive (Snellen equivalents using the ETDRS protocol at a distance of 4 meters). Only one eye will be treated in the study. If both eyes are eligible, the investigator will select the eye to be enrolled. Visual acuity in the non-study eye must be greater than 20/800.
* In the opinion of the investigator, decreased vision in the study eye is due to foveal thickening from DME and not from other obvious causes.
* In the opinion of the investigator, laser photocoagulation can be withheld for at least 30 days after the patient has enrolled in the study

Exclusion Criteria:

* Panretinal photocoagulation or macular photocoagulation within 3 months of study entry in the study eye
* Use of intraocular or periocular injection of steroids in the study eye (e.g., triamcinolone) within 3 months of study entry
* Previous participation in a study and receipt of anti-angiogenic drugs (pegaptanib sodium, ranibizumab, anecortave acetate, protein kinase C inhibitor, etc.) within 2 months of study entry
* Eyes in which the investigators do not feel appropriate to do any additional laser photocoagulation
* Proliferative diabetic retinopathy in the study eye, with the exceptions of inactive, fibrotic proliferative diabetic retinopathy that has regressed following pan-retinal laser photocoagulation or tufts of neovascularization elsewhere (NVE) less than one disc area with no vitreous hemorrhage
* Vitreomacular traction or epiretinal membrane in the study eye evident biomicroscopically or by OCT
* Structural damage to the center of the macula in the study eye likely to preclude improvement in visual acuity following the resolution of macular edema, including atrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium, subretinal fibrosis, laser scar(s), macular ischemia, or organized hard exudate plaque
* Ocular disorders in the study eye that may confound interpretation of study results, including retinal vascular occlusion, retinal detachment, macular hole, or choroidal neovascularization of any cause (e.g., age related macular degeneration (AMD), ocular histoplasmosis, or pathologic myopia)
* Concurrent disease in the study eye that could compromise visual acuity or require medical or surgical intervention during the first 6-month study period
* Eyes which are likely to need cataract surgery and intraocular lens implantation within the first 6 months of the study
* Cataract surgery in the study eye within 3 months of study entry; Yttrium-Aluminum-Garnet (YAG) laser capsulotomy within 2 months of study entry; or any other intraocular surgery within 3 months preceding Day 0.
* History of vitreoretinal surgery in the study eye within 3 months of study entry
* Uncontrolled glaucoma (defined as intraocular pressure greater than 30 mm Hg despite treatment with anti-glaucoma medications)
* Uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, as evidenced by glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) value greater than 12%
* Premenopausal women not using adequate contraception
* Any women who are pregnant
* International normalized ratio (INR) greater than or equal to 3.0 (e.g. due to current treatment with warfarin). The use of aspirin or other anticoagulants is not an exclusion
* History of gastrointestinal bleeding within 2 months of study enrollment
* History of major gastrointestinal, cardiothoracic, gynecological, genitourinary, or orthopedic surgeries within 2 months of study enrollment
* History of cerebral vascular accident, myocardial infarction, transient ischemic attacks within 6 months of study enrollment
* Any patients who are on renal dialysis
B: Inclusion criteria:

* Presence of

  * neovascular (wet) age-related macular degeneration (AMD),
  * visual impairment due to diabetic macular oedema (DME),
  * visual impairment due to macular oedema secondary to retinal vein occlusion (branch RVO or central RVO) or
  * visual impairment due to choroidal neovascularisation (CNV) secondary to pathologic myopia (PM)
* Patients for whom a therapy with Lucentis® is medically indicated.
* Written patients informed consent.

Exclusion criteria:

* As described in the SmPC.
* Preceding intravitreal treatment of the study eye with anti-VEGF drugs in the last three months before enrollment
* Preceding intravitreal treatment of the study eye with steroids
C: Inclusion: Persistent macular edema associated with diabetic retinopathy, uveitis, retinal vein occlusion, or Irvine-Gass syndrome, persisting at least 90 days after laser treatment or medical management by a physician.

Exclusion: Females who are pregnant or lactating, and females of childbearing potential not using adequate birth control for the duration of the study. Any intraocular procedures or laser treatment less than 90 days before enrollment.
D: Inclusion Criteria:

1. Male or female patients \> 18 years of age who have signed an informed consent;
2. Patients with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes mellitus (according to American Diabetes Association or World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines) with glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) less than 12.0% at screening (Visit 1). Patients should be on a dietary, exercise and/or pharmacological program for diabetes. Treatment for diabetes must have been stable for at least 2 months;
3. Patients with visual impairment due to DME (within the EDTRS criteria of clinically significant macular edema) in at least one eye, with a central area thickness \>275 ìm, who are eligible for anti-VEGF treatment according to the investigator. If both eyes are eligible, the one with the worse visual acuity, as assessed at visit 1, will be selected by the investigator as the study eye;
4. BCVA equal or more than 24 and less or equal to 78 letters in the study eye at screening using ETDRS- like visual acuity testing charts at a testing distance of 4 meter (approximate Snellen equivalent of 20/32 to 20/320).

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Women of child-bearing potential.
2. Pregnant or nursing (lactating) women, where pregnancy is defined as the state of a female after conception and until the termination of gestation, confirmed by a positive serum pregnancy test (human chorionic gonadotropin \> 5 mIU/ml);
3. Inability to comply with study procedures;
4. Active intraocular inflammation (grade + or above) in either eye at enrolment;
5. Any active infection (e.g., conjunctivitis, keratitis, scleritis, uveitis, endophthalmitis) in either eye at the time of enrolment;
6. History of uveitis in either eye at any time;
7. Structural damage within 600 m of the centre of the macula in the study eye likely to preclude improvement in visual acuity following in the resolution of macular edema, including atrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium, subretinal fibrosis, laser scar(s), epiretinal membrane involving fovea or organized hard exudate plaques;
8. Uncontrolled glaucoma in the study eye at screening (IOP \> 24 mmHg on medication or according to investigator's judgment);
9. Neovascularization of the iris in the study eye;
10. Evidence of vitreomacular traction in the study eye;
11. Active untreated proliferative diabetic retinopathy in the study eye;
12. Any intraocular surgery in the study eye within 3 months prior to randomization;
13. History of vitrectomy in study eye regardless of time prior to randomization;
14. Planned medical or surgical intervention during the 6 months study period;
15. Panretinal laser photocoagulation in the study eye within 3 months prior to or during the study;
16. Focal/grid laser photocoagulation in the study eye 3 months prior to study entry;
17. Treatment with anti-angiogenic drugs in the study eye (pegaptanib sodium, anecortave acetate, bevacizumab, ranibizumab, VEGF-Trap, etc.) within 3 months prior to randomization;
18. Use of other investigational drugs at the time of enrolment, or within 3 month or 5 half-lives from enrolment, whichever is longer;
19. History of intravitreal corticosteroids in phakic eye within 18 months prior to randomization or in post-cataract surgery study eye (aphakic or pseudophakic, without damaged posterior capsule) within 4 months prior to randomization;
20. Ocular conditions in the study eye that require chronic concomitant therapy with topical ocular or systemically administered corticosteroids;
21. History of stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) within 6 months prior to enrolment;
22. Renal failure requiring dialysis or renal transplant or renal insufficiency with creatinine levels \> 2.0 mg/dl at screening;
23. Blood pressure systolic \> 165 mm Hg or diastolic \> 105 mmHg at screening and randomization;
24. Hypertension or change in antihypertensive treatment within 1 month preceding randomization;
25. Current use of or likely need for systemic medications known to be toxic to the lens, retina or optic nerve, including deferoxamine, chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil), tamoxifen, phenothiazines and ethambutol;
26. Known hypersensitivity to fluorescein, ranibizumab or bevacizumab or any component thereof or drugs of similar chemical classes;
27. Any type of advanced, severe or unstable disease or its treatment, that may interfere with primary and/or secondary variable evaluations including any medical condition that could be expected to progress, recur, or change to such an extend that it may bias the assessment of the clinical status of the patient to a significant degree or put the patient at special risk;
28. Concomitant conditions in the study eye which would, in the opinion of the investigator, prevent the improvement of visual acuity on study treatment;
29. Ocular disorders in the study eye that may confound interpretation of study results, compromise visual acuity or require medical or surgical intervention during the 6-month study period, including cataract, retinal vascular occlusion, retinal detachment, macular hole, or choroidal neovascularization of any cause (e.g., AMD, ocular histoplasmosis, or pathologic myopia).

Answer: C