Triamcinolone is a long-acting steroid which reduces inflammation over a period of 3 to 4 weeks after injection into the eye. It has proved particularly useful for the treatment diabetic macular oedema.  Unfortunately, the benefits of treatment are short-lived and it usually administered as a prelude to laser, particularly if the view of the retina is obscured by haemorrhage. Studies are currently under way comparing triamcinolone with ranibizumab (Lucentis) in patients wtih macular oedema.