ABSTRACT
This chapter clarifies understanding of retinal vascular diseases and an approach to managing these conditions with novel agents and therapies, in a multimodal way to target multiple disease pathways. Treatment strategies used in a synergistic manner improve safety, outcomes, and long-term treatment burden. Retinal vascular diseases are complex conditions with multifactorial etiology and pathogenesis. Disease chronicity causes visual disability and poor QoL in the working age population, and is increasingly overwhelming healthcare systems. Newer, efficacious strategies are required for optimal disease management, to improve outcomes and reduce treatment burden. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays a key role in hypoxia-mediated macular oedema and retinal neovascularization, causing poor visual outcomes. Anti-VEGF agents have revolutionized management, reducing macular oedema, stabilizing and regressing new vessels, aiding absorption of vitreous haemorrhage, preventing rubeosis, and reducing laser-associated worsening of DME and scarring.
