Photobiomodulation for the Treatment of Diabetic Macular Edema

Summary

The current application proposes to conduct a prospective, clinical trial in diabetic subjects with diabetic macular edema (DME) to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of 670 nm photobiomodulation on validated clinical outcome measures and anatomical changes in central macula by optical coherence tomography (OCT) and other imaging modalities. A total of 30 diabetic patients with treatment-refractory clinically significant diabetic macular edema will be included in this study and randomized into two equal groups. One eye per participant will be included to avoid exposure of both eyes to the study intervention. If both eyes are eligible, the eye with worse visual acuity will become the study eye. One group will be treated with standard-of-care (intravitreal anti-VEGF agent) injections. The photobiomodulaton (PBM) intervention group will be treated with the standard-of-care intravitreal anti-VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) injections and 670 nm PBM in one eye. Baseline functional and anatomic assessments will be made and anti-VEGF therapy will be administered as determined by the treating Ophthalmologist.

Timeline

Start

2015-06

Primary completion

2019-08-30

Completion

2019-08-30

Publications

• Background Zhang X, Zeng H, Bao S, Wang N, Gillies MC. Diabetic macular edema: new concepts in patho-physiology and treatment. Cell Biosci. 2014 May 14;4:27. doi: 10.1186/2045-3701-4-27. eCollection 2014.
• Background Falavarjani KG, Nguyen QD. Adverse events and complications associated with intravitreal injection of anti-VEGF agents: a review of literature. Eye (Lond). 2013 Jul;27(7):787-94. doi: 10.1038/eye.2013.107. Epub 2013 May 31.
• Background Tang J, Herda AA, Kern TS. Photobiomodulation in the treatment of patients with non-center-involving diabetic macular oedema. Br J Ophthalmol. 2014 Aug;98(8):1013-5. doi: 10.1136/bjophthalmol-2013-304477. Epub 2014 Mar 28.
• Background Simo R, Sundstrom JM, Antonetti DA. Ocular Anti-VEGF therapy for diabetic retinopathy: the role of VEGF in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy. Diabetes Care. 2014 Apr;37(4):893-9. doi: 10.2337/dc13-2002.
• Background Eells JT, Wong-Riley MT, VerHoeve J, Henry M, Buchman EV, Kane MP, Gould LJ, Das R, Jett M, Hodgson BD, Margolis D, Whelan HT. Mitochondrial signal transduction in accelerated wound and retinal healing by near-infrared light therapy. Mitochondrion. 2004 Sep;4(5-6):559-67. doi: 10.1016/j.mito.2004.07.033.
• Background Tang J, Du Y, Lee CA, Talahalli R, Eells JT, Kern TS. Low-intensity far-red light inhibits early lesions that contribute to diabetic retinopathy: in vivo and in vitro. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2013 May 1;54(5):3681-90. doi: 10.1167/iovs.12-11018.
• Background Cheung N, Wong IY, Wong TY. Ocular anti-VEGF therapy for diabetic retinopathy: overview of clinical efficacy and evolving applications. Diabetes Care. 2014 Apr;37(4):900-5. doi: 10.2337/dc13-1990.
• Background Eells JT, Henry MM, Summerfelt P, Wong-Riley MT, Buchmann EV, Kane M, Whelan NT, Whelan HT. Therapeutic photobiomodulation for methanol-induced retinal toxicity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2003 Mar 18;100(6):3439-44. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0534746100. Epub 2003 Mar 7.
• Background Chung H, Dai T, Sharma SK, Huang YY, Carroll JD, Hamblin MR. The nuts and bolts of low-level laser (light) therapy. Ann Biomed Eng. 2012 Feb;40(2):516-33. doi: 10.1007/s10439-011-0454-7. Epub 2011 Nov 2.

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