Macular edema is an abnormal thickening of the macula, a thin layer of tissue that lines the posterior of the eye. It is associated with the leaking of fluid from retinal blood vessels. This excess fluid accumulates in the extracellular space of the retina, which leads to the thickening of the macula.
There are a wide variety of underlying causes of macular edema, such as diabetes, eye surgery, uveitis and retinal vein occlusion.
The pathological processes leading to macular edema involve numerous inflammatory cells, cytokines, growth factors, and intercellular adhesion molecules, which are associated with increased vascular permeability, breakdown of the blood-retinal barrier, remodeling of the extracellular matrix, and up-regulation of proangiogenic factors
As a final common pathway in numerous prevalent retinal disorders, macular edema in its various forms can be considered the leading cause of central vision loss in the developed world. As such, it is of significant importance both medically and socioeconomically.
For additional information on our clinical study of EGP-437 to treat macular edema, please click here.