21st Century treatment of diabetic retinopathy

Despite marked improvements in the treatment of diabetes and its retinal complications, diabetic retinopathy remains a leading cause of blindness and vision impairment in working-age adults. Control of blood glucose and blood pressure will remain important means to prevent the onset and progression of diabetic retinopathy. Current and improved surgical treatments, such as laser therapy and vitrectomy, have also proved highly effective in preventing major visual loss in advanced stages of retinopathy. In this review, emerging drug-based therapies (corticosteroids, somatostatin analogues, anti-VEGF agents, a specific PKCβ1/2 inhibitor [ruboxistaurin]), more effective inhibitors of aldose reductase, inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin system and anti-inflammatory agents that could help to preserve sight in the growing population of diabetic patients into the 21st Century are discussed.