Treatment of diabetic retinopathy with anti-VEGF drugs

The aim of this review is to summarize the latest developments in the treatment of diabetic retinopathy (DR) with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) drugs. We reviewed recent studies that evaluated the role of the anti-VEGF agents bevacizumab, ranibizumab and pegaptanib in the treatment of DR. There was only one large randomized controlled trial that evaluated the role of ranibizumab in diabetic macular oedema (DME). Other prospective and retrospective studies provided important insight into the role of anti-VEGF drugs in DR, but most of them were not conducted in large scales. The growing evidence indicates that anti-VEGF drugs are beneficial in DR, especially in DME. Further studies are needed to fully evaluate the role of these agents, especially in proliferative DR and in DR candidates for vitrectomy surgery.