Progress of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor drugs for the treatment of retinopathy of prematurity

Retinopathy of prematurity(ROP)is a proliferative vascular disorder of the immature retina, and it is a major eye disease that causes blindness in children of developing and developed countries. Retinal laser photocoagulation and cryotherapy are the conventional treatment used for ROP but could cause permanent damage to retina, with a risk of complications such as visual field defect and high myopia. With more normal growth of retinal function and convenience and shorter time than coagulation therapy, intravitreal injection of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)agents has gradually gained popularity and has even been advocated as the treatment of choice in treating zone I, zone II posterior or aggressive ROP. However, the serious systemic complications, minimum effective dose and late recurrence caused by anti-VEGF drugs in the treatment of ROP still need to be further studied. This review focuses on the use of anti-VEGF agents for the treatment of ROP.