Faricimab + PRP vs. Vitrectomy + Endolaser for Treatment of PDR

Although some combination of anti-VEGF plus PRP is the most common treatment approach for PDR with and without DME, there are currently no long-term data on a standardized approach. Vitrectomy is not currently used as first-line treatment for early PDR but advances in surgical technique have reduced associated complications and the ability to remove the posterior hyaloid during surgery may have advantages over nonsurgical approaches, especially in the reduction of vitreous hemorrhage and/or traction retinal detachment that may occur later when the hyaloid separates naturally. Protocol S demonstrated both PRP and anti-VEGF alone result in good visual acuity results long-term so it is expected that a combination treatment would also result in good visual acuity results.

This study will evaluate the safety and efficacy of two treatment strategies for PDR: faricimab plus PRP and Vitrectomy with endolaser with the goal to determine whether either approach decreases visit and treatment burden along with decreasing complications compared with the other treatment method while maintaining good visual acuity. The primary objectives of this study are to compare visual acuity at 3 years following vitrectomy with endolaser or faricimab+PRP and to compare number of treatments for PDR (i.e., injections, PRP, vitrectomy) following the end of randomized treatment over 3 years.