Photobiomodulation Therapy for Management of Retinal Diseases

Purpose of review Photobiomodulation (PBM) therapy has been studied as a possible adjunctive treatment for retinal pathologies such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic macular edema (DME). This review aims to summarize the existing clinical evidence to date. Recent findings PBM has been investigated in patients with AMD and DME. PBM has been studied in patients with AMD AREDS stages 2-4 with clinical trials reporting both improvements in vision and reductions in geographic atrophy development. In terms of DME, clinical trials to date found no difference between PBM and sham treatment. The major limitations of the studies up to date include small sample size, varied primary outcomes, and different treatment approaches in terms of both the wavelengths used and treatment protocols. Summary PBM may hold potential promise to offer additional therapeutic effect in the treatment of AMD. Further larger size clinical trial and real-world data on efficacy and safety are needed to help inform the best choice of treatment.