Selective laser trabeculoplasty is a safe and effective treatment for glaucoma, with greater cost effectiveness than its pharmacological and surgical alternatives. Nevertheless, although the basic science literature on selective laser trabeculoplasty continues to grow, there remains uncertainty over the mechanism by which laser trabeculoplasty reduces intraocular pressure. To address this uncertainty, the evidence behind several potential biological and mechanical mechanisms of selective laser trabeculoplasty were reviewed. In particular, cytokine secretion, matrix metalloproteinase induction, increased cell division, repopulation of burn sites and macrophage recruitment were discussed. Refining our understanding of these mechanisms is essential both to understanding the pathophysiology of ocular hypertension and developing improved therapies to treat the condition.
Purpose: To synthesize the present clinical evidence of efficacy and adverse events of commonly used anti-VEGF drugs for Diabetic Macular Edema. Methods: A systematic review was undertaken from the Medline, Biosis, CINAHL, Cochrane and Web of Science databases. Grey literature that consisted of lectures, seminars and conferences was also retrieved. The cut-off date was January 1 2014. A two-stage screening process was undertaken followed by a data extraction stage using the systematic review software EPPI. These were done by two reviewers. Heterogeneous meta-analysis was performed on the primary outcome which was change in macular thickness from baseline after injection. Side effects were tabulated. Results: From 846 articles that were initially screened, 18 papers were included in the data extraction stage. For all anti-VEGF treatments, the average decrease in macular thickness was 114.4 microns (95% CI: 66.8 -162 μM). The average decrease in thickness from Lucentis (161.9 μM) was larger than that for Avastin (96.5 μM) but this was not statistically significant (p = 0.23). The most common complications were vitreous hemorrhage, endophthalmitis and retinal detachment. Vision threatening complications were rare but were reported regularly. Conclusions: The synthesized clinical evidence to date supports both of these treatments as efficacious and safe for diabetic macular edema (DME). There is a trend toward greater efficacy for Lucentis over Avastin but this is not statistically significant and will need a head-to-head RCT to assess accurately.
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