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Abstract
Diabetic retinopathy is one of the most serious complications of chronic diabetes mellitus and is the leading cause of blindness in working-age populations. Large, randomized studies have demonstrated the benefits of systemic and ocular therapy in the prevention and treatment of diabetic retinopathy. The process of angiogenesis plays a critical role in the development of diabetic complications. VEGF is part of the angiogenic process and gives rise to retinal neovascularizations, which are part of the proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Various types of anti-VEGF drugs for the treatment of diabetic macular edema are currently being tested in ongoing clinical trials. Recently published prospective studies addressing the impact of anti-VEGF drugs on diabetic macular edema and proliferative diabetic retinopathy showed the clinical effects of these drugs and uncovered possible adverse effects. Herein we present a review on therapy of diabetic retinopathy with a special focus on anti-VEGF therapy.
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to Sona Patucova for drawing the figure. Grant VEGA of the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the Slovak Republic 1/0206/12.
Declaration of interest
The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.
Notice of Correction:
Changes have been made to this article since its original online publication date of 27 February 2014.