Related Experiment Videos
Visual Outcomes of Ranibizumab Versus Bevacizumab in Diabetic Retinopathy: An Analytical Study
Ayushi Ramesh Devagekar1, Shreya Santosh Mote1, Rehanbaig Shamshirbaig Jamadar1
1Department of Pharmacy Practice, KLE College of Pharmacy, KLE Academy for Higher Education and Research (KAHER), Belagavi, Karnataka, India.
Introduction:
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is usually treated with Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) agents. Ranibizumab is an approved drug for ocular use, while bevacizumab has also been introduced as an off-label drug for retinal diseases.
Objective:
To compare the clinical efficacy and vision related quality of life of ranibizumab and bevacizumab in patients with diabetic retinopathy.
Methodology:
An analytical study was conducted from 2024 September to 2025 March in the Department of Ophthalmology, KLE's Prabhakar Kore Hospital and Medical Research Centre, Belagavi. Following ethical clearance, 105 subjects (aged ≥35 years) diagnosed with DR were enrolled by universal sampling and divided into two groups A and B. Clinical efficacy was evaluated using Optical Coherence Tomography and Visual Acuity scores and vision-related quality of life through the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire, at baseline and third follow-up.
Result:
Central macular thickness decreased in both the Ranibizumab and Bevacizumab groups at the end of the treatment period, but the mean reduction was substantially larger in the Ranibizumab group (282.0 ± 193 µm) than in the Bevacizumab group (343.0 ± 233 µm) (p = 0.040). In terms of visual acuity, the group that received ranibizumab exhibited a considerably higher improvement in logarithm of minimum angle of resolution scores (0.500 ± 0.4 to 0.22 ± 0.1), while the group that received bevacizumab showed a less noticeable improvement (p <0.05) from (0.60 ± 0.3 to 0.50 ± 0.3). Furthermore, the Ranibizumab group's vision-related quality of life, as measured by the composite score, was significantly higher (64.79 ± 18.01) than the Bevacizumab group's (56.53 ± 17.73), indicating both statistically and clinically significant improvements in the functional and psychosocial domains (p = 0.020).
Conclusion:
Both anti-VEGF agents were effective and safe in diabetic retinopathy; however, ranibizumab demonstrated superior efficacy, faster response, and shorter treatment duration, reinforcing its value for improving both clinical and patient-centred outcomes.
