Journal of Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology
Open Access

Abstract

A Decade of Anti-VEGF Drugs in Ophthalmology- Successes and Challenges

Martin K Schmid, Michael A Thiel, Lucas M Bachmann and Reinier O Schlingemann

The discovery of anti-VEGF drugs has revolutionized the management of age-related macular degeneration, diabetic macular oedema and retinal vein occlusion. This paper discusses how the management evolved in the anti- VEGF era, addresses salient yet unresolved aspects of early identification and monitoring but also takes notice of challenges associated with long term care. The paper proposes to increase the role of patient self-management, as this has been shown to be effective in many other chronic clinical conditions, and sets out the requirements making self-management operational.