A new systematic review and meta-analysis highlights that anti-VEGF therapy leads to measurable improvements in quality of life for patients with diabetic macular edema (DME), though the overall gains remain modest.
The analysis included 5 randomized controlled trials and 1 cohort study, totaling 1,793 participants. Investigators compared anti-VEGF treatment with sham injections or laser therapy, assessing patient-reported outcomes using the NEI VFQ-25 questionnaire.
Across studies, anti-VEGF therapy produced a statistically significant increase in composite quality-of-life scores, with a pooled mean difference of 3.11 (95% CI 1.89–4.33; P < 0.00001).
Subgroup findings showed that patients receiving anti-VEGF agents experienced greater improvements when compared with sham injections than with laser therapy. Longer follow-up (24 months) was associated with more notable gains than shorter study periods. Removing the cohort study in a sensitivity analysis did not alter the overall results, reinforcing the strength of the evidence.
Despite these benefits, the authors note that treatment burden, access issues, and cost may limit how patients perceive the impact of therapy in real-world settings.
Reference
Shameem FJ, Asante Baadu F, Venugopal S, et al. Assessing Quality of Life and Patient-Reported Outcomes in Diabetic Macular Edema Treated With Anti-vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (Anti-VEGF) Agents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Cureus. 2025;17(10):e95469. doi: 10.7759/cureus.95469. PMID: 41322822; PMCID: PMC12658855.
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