[Anti-VEGF therapy for diabetic retinopathy].
E S ChekhoninR R FayzrakhmanovA V SukhanovaE D BosovPublished in: Vestnik oftalmologii (2021)
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the most severe complications of diabetes mellitus, its treatment involves specialists of different areas - endocrinologists, diabetes specialists, therapists, cardiologists, surgeons, anesthesiologists etc. For ophthalmologists the objective is to diagnose ocular pathological changes associated with diabetes mellitus, and to prescribe required treatment in a timely manner. Treatment methods used in DR can be divided into three main groups: laser coagulation of the retina, intravitreal injection of medications - inhibitors of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and glucocorticoids, as well as surgical treatment. The present literature review addresses the use of anti-VEGF drugs in the therapy of DR, specifically the latest medications, the most important studies on the treatment of DR and diabetic macular edema (DME), as well as post hoc analysis of such studies, the role of these medications in the therapy of refractory DME and proliferative stage DR. The review also addresses the upcoming strategies for therapy, as well as the importance of medications in prevention of DR and DME.