Bevacizumab in glaucoma: a review

Recent research has shown that a large number of growth factors are responsible for neovascularization. Vascular endothelial growth factor has been identified as playing a key role in ocular angiogenesis. Bevacizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody that binds to all isoforms of vascular endothelial growth factor, has shown promising results in regression of neovascularization. The use of bevacizumab has been reported extensively in various retinal pathologies, including proliferative diabetic retinopathy, cystoid macular edema, neovascular age-related macular degeneration, and neovascular glaucoma, but the clinical use in glaucoma is not yet clear. Glaucoma filtering surgery entails fashioning an external filter for aqueous drainage, and a prerequisite to its optimum functioning is a patent filtering bleb. Since fibroblast function and growth of new vessels is a component of healing of the bleb, there have been attempts to retard this healing by the use of bevacizumab. This article reviews current clinical studies documenting the use of bevacizumab in glaucoma.