The latest treatments for diabetic eye disease

Q: My mom thinks she needs laser treatment for her diabetic retinopathy. I’ve told her that there’s new stuff out there and she should find out more about the latest treatments before she makes any decision. What do you think? – Doris G., Bayside, N.Y.

A: There is something pretty new that’s approved for the treatment of diabetic eye disease. For a long time, laser treatment, or panretinal photocoagulation (PRP), was the best eye docs could do to treat diabetic retinopathy. And in some cases, it still is. However, anti-VEGF treatment (“VEGF” stands for “vascular endothelial growth factors”) has been improving, and sometimes actually can reverse retinopathy and improve vision. One anti-VEGF, ranibizumab injections (Lucentis), recently was approved for all forms of retinopathy. It was found to stop disease progression for up to two years. Previously it was approved for treating wet age-related macular degeneration. Anti-VEGF therapy generally comes with fewer risks than laser surgery.

Diabetic nonproliferative retinopathy happens when chronically high glucose levels damage blood vessels in the retina, making them leak. Proliferative retinopathy is a more advanced stage in which the damaged retina releases VEGF. That causes tiny, fragile blood vessels to grow. They rupture, and more grow in their place. Scar tissue builds up, and the retina may become detached.

So tell your mom to explore all of her options with her ophthalmologist. Her treatment might be a combo of anti-VEGF and laser, or laser and then anti-VEGF.