We have located links that may give you full text access.
JOURNAL ARTICLE
REVIEW
Anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Injections: The New Standard of Care in Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy?
For decades, panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) has been the standard of care for the treatment of proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR). The relatively recent advent of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) formulations for intravitreal injection has provided a fresh perspective on PDR treatment, especially in eyes with concurrent diabetic macular edema (DME). The anti-VEGF agent ranibizumab has demonstrated a potentially protective effect on eyes with DME in terms of progression to PDR in the RIDE/RISE trials, as has aflibercept in the VIVID/VISTA trials. In 2015, these 2 agents were approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of PDR with DME, though PRP still remains the standard of care for eyes without baseline DME. Published results from Protocol S illustrate the non-inferiority of ranibizumab versus PRP in the treatment of PDR, the first prospective study to do so in eyes with and without baseline DME. These results also reveal that treatment with ranibizumab, when compared to standard treatment with PRP, may also lead to less peripheral visual field loss, reduced need for vitrectomy, and reduced chance for developing DME. Both PRP and intravitreal ranibizumab have very low rates of adverse events. However, treatment with anti-VEGF agents generally is associated with higher costs, increased need for follow-up, and the risk of potentially catastrophic ocular complications (e.g., endophthalmitis) and systemic side effects. Anti-VEGF agents should be considered in cases of media opacity preventing completion of PRP in compliant patients without recent cerebrovascular accident or myocardial infarction, though the long-term efficacy of these agents remains to be studied, especially after the discontinuation of injections.
Full text links
Related Resources
Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university
For the best experience, use the Read mobile app
All material on this website is protected by copyright, Copyright © 1994-2024 by WebMD LLC.
This website also contains material copyrighted by 3rd parties.
By using this service, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy.
Your Privacy Choices
You can now claim free CME credits for this literature searchClaim now
Get seemless 1-tap access through your institution/university
For the best experience, use the Read mobile app