Treatment Goals and Disease Management in Retinal Vascular Diseases

In this episode, “Treatment Goals and Disease Management in Retinal Vascular Diseases,” the expert faculty explore how treatment goals and long-term disease management strategies differ across neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic macular edema (DME), and retinal vein occlusion (RVO). The discussion highlights the importance of rapidly controlling disease activity while also reducing treatment burden through more durable anti-VEGF therapies.

The panel discusses how wet AMD often requires aggressive and consistent disease control to prevent irreversible vision loss, loss of independence, and declines in quality of life. In contrast, patients with DME frequently face competing healthcare demands and adherence challenges due to multiple comorbidities and physician visits, making reduced injection burden an important consideration in long-term disease management. The panelists also review the high VEGF burden associated with RVO and the need for therapies capable of providing rapid disease control while extending treatment intervals.

Throughout the discussion, the expert faculty examine how next-generation anti-VEGF therapies, including aflibercept 8 mg and faricimab, are helping reshape the treatment paradigm by improving durability and reducing the frequency of injections required for disease control. In addition, the panel reviews how newer therapies may help bridge the gap between clinical trial outcomes and real-world patient experiences by improving adherence and reducing undertreatment. The discussion emphasizes the evolving role of durable anti-VEGF therapies in optimizing long-term visual outcomes across retinal vascular diseases.

The next episode in this series, “Treat-and-Extend Strategies in Retinal Vascular Diseases,” features the panelists discussing how clinicians individualize anti-VEGF treatment intervals to optimize durability and reduce injection burden across AMD, DME, and RVO. The expert faculty also highlight how second-generation anti-VEGF therapies are shaping real-world disease management and long-term patient outcomes.