Ching-Chih Ma

Dr. Ching-Chih Ma

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Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

3Years (2024-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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14 August 2024 in Journal of Clinical Medicine
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
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CMChing-Chih Ma
Ching-Chih Ma
PCPo-Huang Chen
Po-Huang Chen
YHYun-Hsiu Hsieh
Yun-Hsiu Hsieh
Background: Diabetic macular edema (DME) is the primary cause of visual impairment in individuals with diabetes. Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is the current first-line treatment for DME owing to its effectiveness. However, frequent anti-VEGF injections may be inconvenient for patients. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate whether the addition of subthreshold micropulse laser (SML) to anti-VEGF therapy could reduce the requirement for anti-VEGF injections while maintaining the treatment efficacy for DME. Methods: Clinical trials retrieved from the databases of PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library were evaluated to determine the effectiveness of combination treatment with SML and anti-VEGF medication compared with that of anti-VEGF treatment alone. The primary outcome measures were the changes in CMT, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), and the total number of intravitreal injections (IVIs). Results: The IVI + SML group revealed a substantial increase in the logarithm of the minimum angle of the resolution BCVA and a reduction in CMT at the 12-month follow-up (BCVA: random-effects; mean difference [MD], −0.05; 95% confidence interval [CI]: −0.10 to −0.01; p-value = 0.28, and CMT: random-effects; MD, −18.27; 95% confidence interval, −27.36 to −9.18; p-value = 0.20). The number of required IVIs in the IVI + SML group was lower than that in the IVI only group (random-effects; MD, −2.22; 95% CI: −3.13 to −1.31; p-value < 0.01). Conclusions: Combining SML therapy with anti-VEGF injections may reduce the total number of injections required, improve VA, and reduce CMT at the 12-month follow-up. Although the included studies used different SML regimens and anti-VEGF agents, this review indicates that the application of additional SML therapy results in positive clinical outcomes.