Progress of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor drugs for the treatment of retinopathy of prematurity / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

Retinopathy of prematurity(ROP)is a proliferative vascular disorder of the immature retina, and it is a major eye disease that causes blindness in children of developing and developed countries. Retinal laser photocoagulation and cryotherapy are the conventional treatment used for ROP but could cause permanent damage to retina, with a risk of complications such as visual field defect and high myopia. With more normal growth of retinal function and convenience and shorter time than coagulation therapy, intravitreal injection of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)agents has gradually gained popularity and has even been advocated as the treatment of choice in treating zone I, zone II posterior or aggressive ROP. However, the serious systemic complications, minimum effective dose and late recurrence caused by anti-VEGF drugs in the treatment of ROP still need to be further studied. This review focuses on the use of anti-VEGF agents for the treatment of ROP.

Anti-VEGF therapy in retinopathy of prematurity / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

@#Retinopathy of prematurity(ROP)is an immature proliferative retinal vascular disease that may lead to permanent blindness in preterm infant. Retinal laser photocoagulation is used for ablation of peripheral retina and treatment of ROP, however, it is destructive. Especially for the cases with lesions in Zone I region, retinal laser photocoagulation may cause severe complications. Recently, studies have demonstrated that vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)plays a causal role in the pathogenesis of ROP, and intravitreal injection of anti-VEGF agents can not only effectively impede ROP progression, but also gain timing for revascularization of a vascular retinal region. This article reviews the treatment indications, drug selection, injection site, dosage recommendation, follow-up of efficacy and complications of intravitreal injection of anti-VEGF agents in the treatment of ROP.

Intravitreal therapeutic agents in noninfectious uveitic macular edema

The management of uveitis is challenging for most treating ophthalmologists. The treatment of uveitis often requires the use of high dose of systemic corticosteroid and immunosuppressive agents, which are almost always associated with potential side effects. Intravitreal medications have become a popular mode of drug administration in uveitis patients as they provide high volume of drug to the target tissues, eliminating the risk of systemic toxicity. There has been tremendous development in the intravitreal therapeutics over the last few years. With the advent of sustained-release technique, increasing patient compliance, biodegradable nature of the implant, and introduction of newer agents with better safety profile, the intravitreal medications have become more popular in recent years. This review presents evidence in the scientific literature supporting the use of intravitreal medications for the management of uveitis and its complications.