title: Anti-VEGF therapy for the treatment of glaucoma: a focus on ranibizumab and bevacizumab.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Anti-VEGF therapy has been widely used in the treatment of ocular neovascular diseases. Because of their anti-angiogenic and anti-fibrotic properties, anti-VEGF antibodies such as bevacizumab and ranibizumab have emerged as an adjunctive treatment modality in glaucoma to improve success of conventional treatments.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ranibizumab is an anti-VEGF-A antigen binding fragment currently indicated in neovascular age-related macular degeneration as well as macular edema following retinal vein occlusion. Several off-label uses include the treatment of neovascular glaucoma to regress/suppress iris and iridocorneal angle neovascularization and the modulation of wound healing after glaucoma filtration surgery. Bevacizumab is a full-length anti-VEGF antibody, which is also being used in aforementioned eye conditions off-label. An overview of these anti-VEGF antibodies and the results of preclinical and clinical studies regarding their use in the treatment of glaucoma are presented.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Early studies on the utility of both bevacizumab and ranibizumab in neovascular glaucoma and filtration surgery reported promising results. However, a large-scale randomized clinical trial as well as comparative studies between the two anti-VEGF antibodies are currently lacking. A single dose of ranibizumab costs approximately 40 times as much as a single dose of bevacizumab. Clinicians should take this into account, in addition to their differences in the efficacy and safety, when treating patients.
authors.affiliation: Einhorn Clinical Research Center, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, New York, NY 10003, USA.
authors.forename: Sung Chul
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: Celso
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tello
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000068258:Bevacizumab; D005901:Glaucoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000601:surgery; D020327:Glaucoma Drainage Implants; D006801:Humans; D000069579:Ranibizumab; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*
chemical_list: D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D000068258:Bevacizumab; D000069579:Ranibizumab