Study of Uveitic Macular Edema Treated With Ranibizumab or Steroids

This is a pilot study to investigate the safety and efficacy of intravitreally administered ranibizumab (Lucentis) compared to steroid injection for the treatment of macular edema due to chronic non-infectious uveitis. There is currently no FDA-approved therapy for this condition, however intravitreal injection of corticosteroids, in conjunction with oral steroids and/or immunomodulatory drug agents, has become the mainstay of therapy. Ranibizumab is a recombinant monoclonal antibody antigen-binding fragment that neutralizes the active forms of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which is believed to contribute to the etiology of inflammation and neovascularization. Ranibizumab is FDA-approved for the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration.