Abnormal ocular angiogenesis is a key factor in the development of many
blinding ocular diseases, including wet age-related macular degeneration
(wAMD), diabetic macular oedema (DME), pathologic myopia with choroidal
neovascularization (PM-CNV), and neovascular glaucoma (NVG). The
development of anti-neovascular drugs and ocular drug delivery systems
(DDS) offers more possibilities for the treatment of neovascular eye
diseases. In addition to anti-vascular endothelial growth factor
(anti-VEGF) agents, the discovery of other anti-angiogenic targets, such
as somatostatin, endostatin and pigment epithelium-derived factor
(PEDF), has been a boon to patients with poor anti-VEGF efficacy and led
to a reduction in the adverse effects of long-term VEGF inhibition. Gene
therapy is currently a very promising approach for the treatment of
neovascular ophthalmopathy. The rapid development of gene therapy and
the potential for viral vector-mediated gene delivery to achieve
sustained expression of anti-vascular substances at the lesion site will
mitigate the risks associated with frequent intraocular injections for
patients. This review provides an overview of several neovascular
ophthalmopathies, discusses the use of anti-vascular therapeutic agents
and common DDS, and summarizes treatment strategies and future
perspectives for neovascular ophthalmopathy.