Anti-VEGF therapies are important to prevent visual disability in patients with retinal diseases: what is the current situation in different countries?

Retinal diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy are major causes of visual impairment and blindness all over the world. Nearly two decades ago, the development of anti-VEGF revolutionized the treatment paradigms for many retinal diseases. 

In a review recently published in Graefe’s Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology, Paolo Lanzetta, MD, Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Udine (Italy) and Director of the European Institute of Ocular Microsurgery (IEMO), gave an overview of how anti-VEGF therapies have impacted on the reduction of AMD-related blindness and visual impairment across several countries worldwide. Professor Lanzetta also focused on other factors potentially correlated to changes in the rate of blindness.

For further information, you can read the study here

Lanzetta P. Anti-VEGF therapies for age-related macular degeneration: a powerful tactical gear or a blunt weapon? The choice is ours. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 2021;259(12):3561-3567. doi:10.1007/s00417-021-05451-2