| Study | Reason for exclusion |
|---|---|
| Ahmadieh 2009 | Participants received vitrectomy |
| Ahn 2011 | Participants received vitrectomy |
| Albuquerque 2014 | Participants underwent vitrectomy |
| Antoszyk 2022 | Participants underwent vitrectomy |
| Arevalo 2019 | Participants underwent vitrectomy |
| Arimura 2009 | Retrospective, comparative study |
| Barroso 2020 | All groups received ranibizumab |
| Bi 2020 | 50% of included participants had NPDR |
| Bressler 2018 | This clinical trial assessed baseline factors associated with vision and edema outcomes |
| Bu 2018 | This trial explored the effects of conbercept combined with laser on inflammatory factors, oxidative stress levels and retinal haemodynamics in diabetic retinopathy. |
| Castillo 2017 | Participants underwent vitrectomy |
| Chatziralli 2020 | The two groups in the comparison received the same anti‐VEGF (ranibizumab) |
| Cheema 2009 | Only 3 included participants had PDR |
| Chen 2019 | Not clear participants had PDR |
| Cho 2010 | Included both participants with NPDR with severe risk of PDR and participants with PDR |
| Comyn 2014 | Participants received vitrectomy |
| Di Lauro 2010 | Participants underwent eye surgery |
| Dong 2016 | Not a randomised and retrospective controlled study. Participants underwent ocular surgery |
| Dufour 2017 | This is an abstract with limited information. The study includes participants without PDR. The main outcome was time to recurrence of retinal neovascularization after anti‐VEGF injection |
| El‐Batarny 2008 | Participants received vitrectomy |
| Ernst 2012 | 50% of included participants had NPDR |
| Farahvash 2011 | Participants received vitrectomy |
| Ferraz 2015 | Non–high‐risk PDR in both eyes |
| Fulda 2010 | Not a randomised clinical trial. Each participant received the 2 evaluated interventions. The right eye received intravitreal bevacizumab and 1 session of 800 scattered laser spots. The left eye underwent a full 1600 laser panretinal photocoagulation |
| Genovesi‐Ebert 2007 | Not a randomised clinical trial |
| Gonzalez 2006 | RCT assessed the efficacy and safety of pegaptanib in treating diabetic macular oedema and diabetic retinopathy. The publication was an abstract and there was insufficient information to include the study. The principal focus is of participants with macular oedema |
| Gonzalez 2021 | Post hoc analysis of two RCTs (RICE and Rise) in DME. |
| Hach 2019 | Both groups received anti‐VEGF |
| Hattori 2010 | Not a randomised clinical trial |
| Hershberger 2018 | Results of 3 RCTs in DME (RICE; RIDE and protocol S) |
| Hu 2017 | Participants underwent vitrectomy and faquectomy |
| Huang 2009 | Compared with historical controls. Not randomised |
| Ip 2012 | 2 years of follow‐up to evaluate effects of intravitreal ranibizumab on diabetic retinopathy severity over time in 2 phase 3 clinical trials (RIDE, NCT00473382; RISE, NCT00473330) for diabetic macular oedema |
| Jiang 2009 | Retrospective study |
| Jorge 2006 | Non‐randomised study |
| Lanzagorta‐Aresti 2009 | The included participants did not have proliferative diabetic retinopathy. The outcomes measured were central macular thickness and visual acuity in participants with a moderate retinopathy not proliferative that needed a cataract surgery |
| Lee 2014 | Retrospective study |
| Li 2015 | Subrogate outcomes (levels of bFGF and VEGF in vitreous samples) |
| Li 2022 | Participants underwent vitrectomy |
| López‐López 2012 | Anti‐VEGF group was not randomised |
| Ma 2016 | No randomised. Participants were divided into observation group and control group, according to the condition of the disease and the participants will. |
| Maguire 2020 | Participants with DME and anti‐VEGF was administered in both groups in the comparison. |
| Manabe 2015 | Participants underwent eye surgery |
| Maturi 2021 | Eyes with moderate to severe non‐proliferative diabetic retinopathy |
| Messias 2019 | All 3‐compared groups received anti‐VEGF |
| Michaelides 2010 | Focus of the clinical trial was diabetic macular oedema |
| Minnella 2008 | Non‐controlled clinical trial |
| Modarres 2009 | Participants underwent vitrectomy |
| NCT02207712 | The study assess light masks (Noctura 400) added to anti‐VEGF in DMO |
| NCT02630277 | This is a phase II clinical trial that compares two groups of participants with PDR treated with intravitreal aflibercept Injection at different posologies |
| NCT02857491 | Participants underwent vitrectomy |
| NCT02976012 | RCT that compares two posologies of Intravitreal Aflibercept in participants undergoing vitrectomy. |
| NCT03452657 | The aim is to prevent high‐risk DR |
| NCT03904056 | Both comparison groups received anti‐VEGF |
| NCT04708145 | All participants receive anti‐VEGF |
| NCT04782128 | Phase II study to evaluate RC28‐E injection in people with NPDR |
| Oh 2014 | This is an abstract (ARVOS 2014), that does not present results. |
| Parikakis 2018 | This is not a primary study. |
| Rizzo 2008 | Participants underwent vitrectomy |
| Scott 2008 | Study evaluated agreement in diabetic retinopathy severity classification by retina specialists performing ophthalmoscopy vs reading centre grading of 7‐field stereoscopic fundus photographs in a phase 2 clinical trial of intravitreal bevacizumab for centre‐involved diabetic macular oedema. |
| Shin 2009 | Data were collected retrospectively. |
| Sohn 2012 | Participants underwent vitrectomy |
| Song 2020 | Participants with non‐proliferative diabetic retinopathy |
| Stergiou 2007 | Retrospective case series |
| Su 2016 | Participants underwent vitrectomy |
| Sun 2015 | Participants underwent vitrectomy |
| Tonello 2008 | Quote: "for patients (n= 8) presenting with high‐risk PDR [proliferative diabetic retinopathy] in both eyes, the eye with worse BCVA [best‐corrected visual acuity] was selected to receive PRP [panretinal photocoagulation] plus intravitreal bevacizumab (eight eyes) and the fellow eye was treated with PRP alone (eight eyes)" Comment: clinical trial partially randomised |
| Toscano 2021 | All comparison groups received anti‐VEGF. |
| Wang 2014 | Participants underwent vitrectomy |
| Wang 2019 | 50% of included participants had NPDR |
| Wykoff 2019 | The RECOVERY study (NCT02863354) evaluated the effect of intravitreal aflibercept on diabetic retinopathy severity. Subjects were randomized into monthly and quarterly 2 mg aflibercept injection. There is not a group of participants without anti‐VEGF. |
| Yang 2016 | Participants underwent vitrectomy |
| Yeh 2009 | Not a randomised study. The treatment assignment was alternative. |
| Yu 2015 | Participants underwent vitrectomy |
| Yu 2021 | Phase II RCT analysed 2 imaging‐based biomarkers to guide management of treatment with anti‐VEGF |
| Zaman 2013 | Participants underwent vitrectomy |
| Zhang 2019 | This is not a randomized study |
| Zhou 2010 | Focus of the clinical trial is diabetic macular oedema |
| Zhou 2017 | It is an abstract without enough information. |
BCVA: best‐corrected visual acuity; bFGF: basic fibroblast growth factor; DME: diabetic macular oedema; DR: diabetic retinopathy; NPDR: non‐proliferative diabetic retinopathy; PDR: proliferative diabetic retinopathy; PRP: panretinal photocoagulation; RCTs: randomized clinical trials; VEGF: vascular endothelial growth factor