Aflibercept: Newly Approved for the Treatment of Macular Edema Following Central Retinal Vein Occlusion

Retinal vein occlusion is the secondleading cause of vision loss due to vascular disease of the retina, behind di-abetic retinopathy. Central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) is approximately 4 times less common than branch retinal vein occlusion; CRVO represents a more serious form of the disorder and confers significant risk to the patient’s vision.1-4 As the name suggests, CRVO results from obstruction of the central retinal vein, leading to increased pressure, re-duced arterial perfusion, and retinal is-chemia. One consequence of this ischemia is an escalation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) production that may then promote vascular permeability, macular edema, retinal hemorrhages, capillary nonperfusion, and/or neovascu-larization. It is primarily this role as an arbitrator of ocular neovascularization that renders VEGF an important drug target in ophthalmology.2,3,5,