Current concepts in intravitreal drug therapy for diabetic retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a major cause of preventable blindness in the developed countries. Despite the advances in understanding and management of DR, it remains a challenging condition to manage. The standard of care for patients with DR include strict metabolic control of hyperglycemia, blood pressure control, normalization of serum lipids, prompt retinal laser photocoagulation and vitrectomy. For patients who respond poorly and who progressively lose vision in spite of the standard of care, intravitreal administration of steroids or/and anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) drugs appear to be a promising second-line of therapy. This review discusses the current concepts and the role of these novel therapeutic approaches in the management of DR.