This popular eye injection treatment for macular degeneration has proven to be more effective than laser for diabetic eye disease

A large clinical trial conducted by the Diabetic Retinopathy Clinical Research Network, or DRCR.net, was conducted to test the success of anti-VEGF eye injection treatment on diabetic patients. The study demonstrated that patients receiving anti-VEGF eye injection treatments along with prompt laser treatments, had greater gains in vision recovery after one year than patients who received only the traditional laser treatment.

Click here to watch an Avastin eye injection animation

Laser photocoagulation has been a mainstay treatment for all forms of diabetic retinopathy for decades. It improves vision and reduces risks of vision loss from leaking blood vessels and capillary damage. These are the vision robbing problems commonly found in diabetic eyes.

Adding eye injections, like Avastin or Lucentis, to diabetic treatment routines, has increased the rate of successful recovery from macular edema caused by diabetic retinopathy.

In the study, patients with diabetic macular edema near the center of the macula gained the most vision from the treatments. This makes sense because swelling near the macula is most evident in the vision. Also see “Interactive Human Eye” animation

At The Macula Center, Dr. Deupree has been treating some cases of diabetic macular edema with the various available anti-VEGF drugs with great success. His use of combination therapies, like focal laser along with Avastin or Lucentis, has been very successful.

Recently, there has been a trend toward combination Visudyne laser and anti-VEGF drugs for macular degeneration.

There is alot of research being done to perfect new drugs to treat diabetic macular edema. The best defense is still patient education and proactiveness. Getting yearly dilated eye exams is of the utmost importance in keeping diabetic eye disease in check.

Click here to watch a Lucentis eye injection treatment