The satellite symposium moderated by Usha Chakravarthy entitled ‘Changing Perspectives in Diabetic Macular Oedema: Recognising and Understanding Chronic Diabetic Macular Oedema’ was convened at the 2014 EURETINA Congress. The symposium discussed the multiple processes involved in chronic diabetic macular oedema (DMO) and the use of medications, in particular, corticosteroids in its management. As DMO progresses, inflammatory cytokines are up-regulated relative to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and these promote various pathways that ultimately result in retinal damage in chronic disease. It is important therefore that treatments for chronic DMO address this altered inflammatory cytokine profile to effectively manage the condition. ILUVIEN®, a 190 μg intravitreal implant in applicator (with a daily release rate of 0.2 μg/day fluocinolone acetonide [FAc] implant) is a second-line therapy indicated for the treatment of chronic DMO. This implant has been shown in phase III trials to lead to marked improvements in visual acuity and in retinal thickness in patients with chronic DMO that were insufficiently response to first-line therapy (i.e. laser). Clinical trial data strongly support the use of the FAc implant in chronic DMO and now ‘real world’ data from its use in regular clinical practice are becoming available and interim results complement those reported in a clinical trial setting.