Lucentis Helps Improve Vision

The National Eye Institute announced the results of a Lucentis trial:

Evidence has accumulated that abnormal blood vessel growth in diabetic retinopathy is caused by a protein, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). This trial compared the effectiveness of laser therapy alone to laser therapy combined with Lucentis, a drug that prevents VEGF from stimulating abnormal blood vessel growth. The study involved 690 patients at 52 clinical sites within the DRCR.net. Nearly 50 percent of patients who received the combination of Lucentis and laser treatment experienced substantial visual improvement after one year, compared with only 28 percent who received laser treatment alone.