Open AccessAnti-VEGF Therapy for Diabetic Eye Diseases
Author(s) -
Bobak Bahrami,
Thomas Hong,
Mark C Gilles,
Andrew Chang
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
asia-pacific journal of ophthalmology
Language(s) - Uncategorized
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.163
H-Index - 20
ISSN - 2162-0989
DOI - 10.22608/apo.2017350
Subject(s) - medicine , diabetic retinopathy , blindness , vascular endothelial growth factor , diabetic macular edema , vegf receptors , ranibizumab , disease , ophthalmology , pathogenesis , bevacizumab , intensive care medicine , diabetes mellitus , optometry , chemotherapy , endocrinology
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a leading cause of vision impairment and blindness in the working-age population. The identification of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) as a key mediator in the pathogenesis of DR has revolutionized the management of this vision-threatening disease. There is now strong evidence supporting intravitreal anti-VEGF therapy as first line in the management of sight-threatening diabetic macular edema (DME), along with a growing body of evidence to support the use of anti-VEGF drugs for proliferative DR. This review summarizes the role of VEGF in DR, the evidence for anti-VEGF therapy, safety considerations, and the future of anti-VEGF therapy for the management of DR.