Progress of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy for ocular neovascular disease: benefits and challenges

This review aims to summarize the progress of current clinical studies in ocular angiogenesis treated with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy and to discuss the benefits and challenges of the treatment.

Pubmed, Embase and the Cochrane Library were searched with no limitations of language and year of publication.

Clinical trials and case studies presented at medical conferences and published in peer-reviewed literature in the past decade were reviewed.

Anti-VEGF agents have manifested great potential and promising outcomes in treating ocular neovascularization, though some of them are still used as off-label drugs. Intravitreal injection of anti-VEGF agents could be accompanied by devastating ocular or systemic complications, and intimate monitoring in both adult and pediatric population are warranted. Future directions should be focused on carrying out more well-designed large-scale controlled trials, promoting sustained duration of action, developing safer and more efficient generation of anti-VEGF agents.

Anti-VEGF treatment has proved to be beneficial in treating both anterior and posterior neovascular ocular diseases. However, more safer and affordable antiangiogenic agencies and regimens are warranted to be explored.