Philip J. Rosenfeld, MD, PhD Dr. Rosenfeld received both his MD and PhD degrees from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and he completed a research fellowship and residency in Ophthalmology at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, Harvard Medical School. Bio

The author discloses a financial interest as a recipient of current clinical research funding from Genentech, Inc., Alcon Laboratories, Inc., and Eyetech/OSI Pharmaceuticals. He also participates on the ad hoc scientific advisory boards for Genentech, Novartis Ophthalmics, and Allergan. Dr. Rosenfeld has no proprietary interest in any of the drugs discussed in this article.

At the recent World Congress of Ophthalmology in Brazil, ophthalmologists from all over the world shared their positive experiences with the off-label use of intravitreal Avastin for the treatment of retinal and choroidal vascular diseases. Few innovations in medicine have been adopted throughout the world as rapidly as the off-label use of intravitreal Avastin. To date, the global ophthalmic community has found no evidence of ocular or systemic toxicity, and Avastin appears to be effective. However, the long term safety of intravitreal Avastin is still unknown and needs to be studied. Although most of the clinical experience to date is anecdotal, there is a growing belief that these early observations will be predictive of future success when intravitreal Avastin is studied prospectively. This article will describe the scientific and clinical rationale for the use of intravitreal Avastin in the treatment of ocular exudative diseases.