Severe macular edema induced by pioglitazone in a patient with diabetic retinopathy: a case study

We report a case of severe diabetic macular edema (DME) that developed after pioglitazone was used by a patient with proliferative diabetic retinopathy. A 30-year-old woman with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus visited our clinic in 2004. She had moderate pre-proliferative diabetic retinopathy OU. Because of the rapid progression of the diabetic retinopathy, she received pan-retinal photocoagulation in both eyes. Two weeks before using pioglitazone, her visual acuity was 0.9 OD and 0.7 OS. On October 2007, pioglitazone was prescribed by her internist because of poorly controlled blood glucose level. Two weeks later, her body weight increased, and her face became edematous. Her visual acuity decreased to 0.5 OU, and ophthlamoscopy showed severe DME in both eyes. Two weeks after stopping pioglitazone, her visual acuity improved to 0.8 OD and 0.5 OS, but the DME was still severe in the optical coherence tomographic images. Then, one half the usual dose (25 mg) of spironolactone, a diuretic, was given and her macular edema was resolved. Her final visual acuity improved to 0.9 OD and 0.7 OS. We recommend that when a patient taking pioglitazone complains of decreased vision, the physician should promptly consult an ophthalmologist.