Diabetic Retinopathy

What is Anti-VEGF for Diabetic Retinopathy?

For diabetic macular edema (DME) and proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), intravitreal anti-VEGF injections are first-line treatment, reducing retinal swelling and regressing abnormal blood vessels. Combined with glycemic control, they prevent severe vision loss.

Why China?

• Massive DR burden: China has 30M+ diabetics — top retinal centers see 100+ DR cases/day
• Cost per injection: $300-$800 (conbercept) vs. $1,800-$2,500 in the US
• Combined therapy: Anti-VEGF + targeted PRP available in single visit
• Vitrectomy expertise: Beijing Tongren, Zhongshan Eye perform 5,000+ vitreoretinal surgeries/year

Who is a candidate?

• Center-involving DME with vision impact
• Proliferative DR
• Vitreous hemorrhage from DR
• HbA1c <9% preferred (continued treatment despite higher levels)

Outcomes

DME: vision improvement ≥15 letters in 30-40%. CST (central subfield thickness) reduction: 40-50%. PDR regression: 80-90% with combined therapy. Risk reduction for severe vision loss: 90%.