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Updated: Jul 23, 2025

An Ex Vivo Tissue Culture Model for Fibrovascular Complications in Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy
Published on: January 25, 2019
Update on current pharmacologic therapies for diabetic retinopathy
Sofía M Muns1, Victor M Villegas1,2, Harry W Flynn2
1Department of Ophthalmology, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Introduction:
Diabetic retinopathy is a major cause of visual loss worldwide. The most important clinical findings include diabetic macular edema (DME) and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR).
Areas Covered:
PubMed was used for our literature review. Articles from 1995 to 2023 were included. Pharmacologic treatment of diabetic retinopathy generally involves the use of intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy for DME and PDR. Corticosteroids remain important second-line therapies for patients with DME. Most emerging therapies focus on newly identified inflammatory mediators and biochemical signaling pathways involved in disease pathogenesis.
Expert Opinion:
Emerging anti-VEGF modalities, integrin antagonists, and anti-inflammatory agents have the potential to improve outcomes with reduced treatment burdens.
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