| There are various treatments available for the | | | | they may not yet have supplanted traditional laser |
| different manifestations of diabetic retinopathy. It | | | | therapy, both are becoming viable alternatives. |
| used to be that laser treatment, of one form or | | | | Steroids are very effective in reversing macular |
| the other, was the treatment of choice. | | | | edema. It seems as though inflammation plays a |
| Nowadays, there are intraocular injections of | | | | role in the "leaky" blood vessels common in |
| steroids, anti-VEGF medications, in addition to the | | | | diabetic macular edema. Steroids are great at |
| traditional laser. Very soon, sustained release drug | | | | blocking inflammation. |
| delivery systems will be an option, too. | | | | "Anti-VEGF" medications are antibody-like |
| Laser Treatment used to be the mainstay for | | | | molecules that are directed against Vascular |
| treating macular edema, that is, swelling of the | | | | Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF). VEGF acts on |
| retina caused by leaky retinal blood vessels. The | | | | normal blood vessels to make them leaky. (VEGF |
| macular edema is the most common way diabetic | | | | also causes abnormal blood vessels to grow along |
| patients can lose vision and it happens to almost | | | | the surface of the retina and other internal |
| every patient. If the swelling develops right in the | | | | structures of the eye, but see below). By blocking |
| center of the retina, called the macula, the vision | | | | VEGF from working by injecting "anti-VEGF" |
| may become blurred. The more severe the | | | | drugs, the leakage seems to stop, thereby |
| swelling, the more blurred the vision. | | | | improving the retinal swelling and vision. |
| Retinal swelling can be treated with laser | | | | Popular "anti-VEGF" medications including Macugen, |
| treatment. While this does not ensure that vision | | | | Lucentis and Avastin. |
| will improve, it is quite possible that the loss of | | | | Pan-Retinal Photocoagulation (PRP) is a method of |
| vision is stopped. | | | | using the laser to arrest the potential blinding |
| Intraocular injections of either steroids, and | | | | effects of proliferative diabetic retinopathy. This, |
| "anti-VEGF" medications, are becoming more | | | | for now, remains the best treatment for |
| popular amongst retina specialists for the | | | | stabilizing the retina. In far advanced stages, a |
| treatment of diabetic macular edema (DME). Both | | | | diabetic retinal detachment may form and |
| agents are delivered as an injection straight into | | | | vitrectomy eye surgery may be necessary to |
| the eye and have been shown to be highly | | | | prevent blindness. |
| effective in reversing the macular edema. While | | | | |