Pharmacologic Vitreolysis in Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy remains a major cause of worldwide preventable blindness. The vitreo-retinal interface plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy. The term pharmacologic vitreolysis refers to the use of enzymes to liquefy the vitreous gel, and to induce posterior vitreous detachment (PVD). Intravitreal ovine hyaluronidase injection was effective in clearing vitreous hemorrhage. Several human case series demonstrated that intravitreal injection of autologous plasmin enzyme was a safe and effective adjunct to vitreous surgery for the treatment of diabetic macular edema and proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Recently, it was shown that intravitreal injection of plasmin enzyme without the performance of vitrectomy induced complete PVD and reduced macular thickening due to refractory diabetic macular edema.