SynthesisActa ophthalmologica2026
Impact of anti-VEGF therapy versus laser therapy on mortality and treatment outcomes in retinopathy of prematurity: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Acta ophthalmologica, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Impact of anti-VEGF therapy versus laser therapy on mortality and treatment outcomes in retinopathy of prematurity: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Acta ophthalmologica · 2026Pooled it
- AAV-norrin gene therapy rescues retinal defects in mice with Norrie disease and oxygen-induced retinopathy.Molecular therapy. Advances · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
Abstract
purposeRetinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a major cause of childhood blindness, and selecting the optimal treatment between anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) and laser therapy is crucial. Understanding their impact on key outcomes, particularly mortality, is essential for informed clinical decision-making.
methodsA systematic literature search identified published studies comparing anti-VEGF and laser therapy for ROP up to December 31, 2024. Primary outcomes included mortality, retinal detachment, surgical interventions, myopia and neurodevelopmental outcomes. The risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool and ROBINS-I. Data were synthesized using a random-effects model, with risk ratios (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). This review is registered in PROSPERO (CRD42024585336).
resultsA total of 12 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and 58 observational studies, covering 10 516 infants, were included. Anti-VEGF therapy was associated with a higher mortality risk than laser therapy (RR: 1.68; 95% CI: 1.23-2.30), primarily in observational studies (1.85; 1.32-2.60), while RCTs showed no significant difference (1.02; 0.46-2.26). Anti-VEGF therapy was linked to lower risks of retinal detachment (0.36; 0.27-0.50), fewer surgical interventions (0.38; 0.22-0.65), and a lower risk of myopia (0.67; 0.54-0.82). No significant differences were found in neurodevelopmental outcomes (1.05; 0.96-1.15).
conclusionsAnti-VEGF therapy offers benefits over laser treatment, including reduced retinal detachment, fewer surgeries and lower myopia risk, with no observed increase in mortality or neurodevelopmental impairment. Future large-scale RCTs are needed to clarify mortality risks while minimising the impact of confounding factors.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.