Disease burden of neovascular age-related macular degeneration and diabetic macular edema

Neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) and diabetic macular edema (DME) are the leading causes of vision impairment in elderly patients and people living with diabetes, respectively. Common features of nAMD and DME include increased vascular permeability, inflammation, and neovascularization. Intravitreal administration of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitors has been the gold standard for treating retinal diseases, and numerous studies have demonstrated their ability to stabilize disease progression and improve visual acuity. However, many patients struggle with the burden of frequent injections, experience a suboptimal treatment response, or lose vision over time. For these reasons, the outcomes of anti-VEGF treatment are often worse in the real-world compared with clinical trials.