Intraocular injections of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) inhibitors have been shown to improve swelling of central retina (macular oedema) and vision in patients with retinal vein occlusions (RVO), however this treatment comes with potentially sight threatening risks. A less invasive treatment might have many advantages. We recently showed that eyes with macular oedema caused by diabetes, the other main cause of macular oedema, who received treatment with near-infrared (NIR) light was not only safe but was also effective in reducing the swelling. The US Diabetic Retinopathy Research Collaboration are currently recruiting for a larger study of NIR light which may or may not confirm our findings. We propose to test the safety and efficacy of the same NIR light in patients with macular oedema from retinal vein occlusions. We anticipate this may reduce the need for injections of VEGF inhibitors in eyes with RVO, in particular eyes with good vision. This pilot study will help determine whether PBM with NIR for RVO warrants further investigation in a larger study.
This pilot study aims to establish that treatment with near infrared light (NIR) reduces cystic macular oedema in patients with a retinal vein occlusion.