Abstract

Diabetes mellitus is a growing health concern world-wide. Patients with this disease present with a variety of health conditions, including a number of sight-threatening ocular pathologies. Proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) and diabetic macula edema (DME) are common diseases that cause substantial vision impairment in diabetic patients. There has been a strong focus on studying the epidemiology and treatment of these diseases. The recent discovery of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its role in the development of proliferative disease, has led to a movement towards treating PDR and DME with anti-angiogenic medications in conjunction with the standard of care. In this review we present a summary of the origination and progression of PDR and DME. This will be followed by a review of clinical data surrounding new anti-angiogenic treatment modalities.

Keywords: Pegaptanib sodium (Macugen), Proliferative diabetic retinopathy, Diabetic macular edema, Diabetes mellitus