Recent advance on anti-VEGF treatment of choroidal neovascularization secondary to pathological myopia

Abstract:

The choroidal neovascularization(CNV)secondary to pathological myopia is a common cause of irreversible central vision loss, with high incidence and serious impact on the quality of life of the patients. The traditional therapeutic modalities for CNV secondary to pathologic myopia include thermal laser photocoagulation, transpupillary thermotherapy, and photodynamic therapy with verteporfin. However, the long-term outcome of these treatments are disappointing. Recently, the intravitreal injection of anti- vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)treatment can improve the visual acuity and reduce the central retina thickness more effectively than the traditional method. Therefore, these anti-VEGF agents may become first-line drugs for the treatment of CNV secondary to pathological myopia. This review is aim to discuss the pathogenesis of myopic CNV, the molecular structure and mechanism of anti-VEGF drugs, and compare the therapeutic efficacy and safety of anti-VEGF drugs to CNV secondary to pathologic myopia.

Key words:vascular endothelial growth factor; pathological myopia; choroidal neovascularization