Diabetic people are vulnerable to blurred vision or even a vision loss from a condition known as macular edema. Three drugs for the disease- Avastin, Eylea and Lucentis- differ vastly in price, but a latest research suggests that all of them function equally well for patients suffering from mild vision loss.

But, when diabetic macular edema results into more severe vision loss, researchers discovered Eylea to be a better choice.

In an institute news release, lead author Dr. John Wells said that the study, funded by the US National Eye Institute (NEI), is going to aid doctors and their patients with diabetic macular edema in selecting the most appropriate therapy.

Wells said, “The study suggests there is little advantage of choosing Eylea or Lucentis over much cheaper Avastin when a patient's loss of visual acuity from macular edema is mild, meaning a visual acuity of 20/40 or better”.

Wells, a retinal specialist at the Palmetto Retina Center in Columbia, S.C., said that though patients with 20/50 or severe vision loss could benefit from Eylea, which, in the two-year study, performed better than Lucentis and Avastin.

The researchers explained that diabetic macular edema can cause the fluid leakage from abnormal blood vessels in the retina. It can lead to blurry vision or even loss of vision. Drugs that treat the condition are injected in the eye and function by stopping a substance that can result into the leakage.

Price is also an important factor. Though they work in similar ways, all three of them differ greatly in price. The news release noted that on the basis of Medicare's pricing guidelines, the per-injection price of Eylea is $1,850, Lucentis costs $1,200 and just $60 for Avastin.