STAT.sub.3 inhibiting molecules and composition prevent intraoccular neovascularization and inflammation. STA-21-related compounds, for example CLT-005, are shown to prevent dimerization of STAT.sub.3, thereby inhibiting STAT.sub.3 activity. Inhibition of activity is shown to reduce intraoccular inflammation and neovascularization, symptoms of eye-related diseases such as age-related macular degeneration. Inhibition of STAT.sub.3 prevents STAT.sub.3 from transcriptionally activating downstream gene targets that are known to be associated with retinal inflammation and neovascularization and such disorders as age-related macular degeneration.