- Design
- Randomised controlled trial
- Population
- 255 patients with BRVO macular oedema
- Primary outcome
- BCVA change from baseline at 6 months
- Effect
- +16.9 vs +8.9 letters at 6 months (P < .0001); +17.1 vs +14.1 at 12 months
BRAVE randomised 255 patients with macular oedema from branch retinal vein occlusion to intravitreal conbercept 0.5 mg or a control arm that received one conbercept injection and then as-needed dosing from month 6.
At six months, vision improved by 16.9 letters with conbercept against 8.9 in controls (P < .0001). By 12 months, once controls were treated, the gap narrowed to 17.1 versus 14.1 letters (P = .025). Central retinal thickness followed a similar pattern. Safety events were low.
The result reinforces a principle that holds across anti-VEGF agents in vein occlusion: early treatment recovers more vision than delayed treatment, which never fully catches up. Conbercept itself is mainly available in China; its availability in India is not established.
- Start anti-VEGF promptly for macular oedema from branch retinal vein occlusion
- Deferred treatment recovered less vision at 12 months
- Use whichever anti-VEGF agent is available and affordable; the principle is timing
- Check blood pressure, glucose and lipids in every patient with vein occlusion
Why it matters
It adds to the case against watchful waiting for visually significant BRVO oedema.
Don't overread it
The control arm was deferred treatment, not an alternative drug; the trial does not show conbercept is better than other anti-VEGF agents.
The statistics, in plain English
A 3-letter gap at 12 months is less than one line on the chart, but consistent with other trials showing that delay costs vision.
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