Study shows Anti-VEGF treatments could cause harmful side-effects in the eye

A new study reveals that increasingly aggressive therapies that block VEGF, such as VEGF TRAP-EYE, from Bayer HealthCare, could cause damage in treating eye diseases. Scientists discovered inhibiting anti-VEGF might have a harmful effect on the tissue responsible for producing the fluid that bathes the eye, medically termed the ciliary body. Investigators simulated the VEGF-A activity in adult mice and found that blocking the protein decreased the intraocular pressure, an unexpected side effect that impaired the ciliary body. The results of the new IOVS study suggest further research, including clinical trials, should be considered. See: "Expression and Role of VEGF-A in the Ciliary Body" by Knatokie M. Ford et al. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. November 7, 2012 vol. 53 no. 12 7520-7527 doi: 10.1167/iovs.12-10098