Diabetic Retinopathy — Photobiomodulation for the Treatment of Diabetic Macular Edema
Citation(s)
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Simó R, Sundstrom JM, Antonetti DA Ocular Anti-VEGF therapy for diabetic retinopathy: the role of VEGF in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy. Diabetes Care. 2014 Apr;37(4):893-9. doi: 10.2337/dc13-2002. Review.
Tang J, Du Y, Lee CA, Talahalli R, Eells JT, Kern TS Low-intensity far-red light inhibits early lesions that contribute to diabetic retinopathy: in vivo and in vitro. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2013 May 1;54(5):3681-90. doi: 10.1167/iovs.12-11018.
Tang J, Herda AA, Kern TS Photobiomodulation in the treatment of patients with non-center-involving diabetic macular oedema. Br J Ophthalmol. 2014 Aug;98(8):1013-5. doi: 10.1136/bjophthalmol-2013-304477. Epub 2014 Mar 28. Erratum in: Br J Ophthalmol. 2014 Oct;98(10):1463. Dosage error in article text.
Zhang X, Zeng H, Bao S, Wang N, Gillies MC Diabetic macular edema: new concepts in patho-physiology and treatment. Cell Biosci. 2014 May 14;4:27. doi: 10.1186/2045-3701-4-27. eCollection 2014. Review.
Near-Infrared Photobiomodulation for the Treatment of Diabetic Macular Edema
Interventional studies are often prospective and are specifically tailored to evaluate direct impacts of treatment or preventive measures on disease.
Observational studies are often retrospective and are used to assess potential causation in exposure-outcome relationships and therefore influence preventive methods.
Expanded access is a means by which manufacturers make investigational new drugs available, under certain circumstances, to treat a patient(s) with a serious disease or condition who cannot participate in a controlled clinical trial.
Clinical trials are conducted in a series of steps, called phases - each phase is designed to answer a separate research question.
Phase 1: Researchers test a new drug or treatment in a small group of people for the first time to evaluate its safety, determine a safe dosage range, and identify side effects.
Phase 2: The drug or treatment is given to a larger group of people to see if it is effective and to further evaluate its safety.
Phase 3: The drug or treatment is given to large groups of people to confirm its effectiveness, monitor side effects, compare it to commonly used treatments, and collect information that will allow the drug or treatment to be used safely.
Phase 4: Studies are done after the drug or treatment has been marketed to gather information on the drug's effect in various populations and any side effects associated with long-term use.
