Work

Classification of Diabetic Retinopathy Severity with Aqueous VEGF Levels: A Prospective, Observational Study

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Objective: A biomarker to classify diabetic retinopathy (DR) severity and guide preventative treatment is a major unmet need. We analyzed the relationship of aqueous VEGF-A with DR severity to determine if VEGF-A is a candidate biomarker. Design: A prospective, controlled trial at a tertiary academic medical center. Subjects: One hundred seven eyes of 107 patients without diabetes and 328 eyes of 164 adult type II diabetic patients with varying levels of DR. Methods: Aqueous was sampled in 107 consecutive eyes without diabetes undergoing elective vitrectomy surgery. All diabetic eyes had aqueous sampling of both eyes, ETDRS visual acuity, spectral-domain OCT, and color fundus photograph testing. Blood glucose and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) were measured. Aqueous VEGF-A was measured using a microparticle bead-based multiplex assay. Main Outcome Measures: Aqueous VEGF-A, DR severity, and diabetic macular edema (DME). Results: = 0.39). Conclusions: Aqueous VEGF-A levels tightly correlate with DR severity and support VEGF-A as a novel biomarker to classify DR and guide early intervention. Use of VEGF-A levels may guide preventative treatment, reduce the risk of progression and vision loss, and allow optimal allocation of health care resources. Financial Disclosures: Proprietary or commercial disclosure may be found in the Footnotes and Disclosures at the end of this article.

Source: Ophthalmology Science

DOI: 10.1016/j.xops.2025.100947