Photodynamic therapy with verteporfin for juxtafoveal choroidal neovascularization in pathologic myopia: a long-term follow-up study.

Abstract

To assess the effect of verteporfin photodynamic therapy (PDT) in juxtafoveal choroidal neovascularization (CNV) secondary to pathologic myopia (PM). Prospective, open-label, consecutive, interventional case series. We prospectively followed a series of 48 consecutive patients (49 eyes) with pathologic myopia (> or = 6 diopters) who received verteporfin PDT for juxtafoveal CNV. This population was divided into two groups based on age (group A < or = 55 years old, group B >55 years old), in three subgroups based on CNV lesion size, and in three categories based on refractive error at baseline. The median follow-up was 32 months (range, 12 to 56 months). Visual acuity (VA) improved by 1 or more Snellen lines in 18 eyes (37%), decreased in 12 eyes (24%), and remained stable in 19 eyes (39%). The median number of lines gained was 2.15, while the median number of lines lost was 2.4. The final mean VA in group A (mean age, 43.9 years) was 20/50 (logMAR 0.41, standard deviation [SD] 0.3) and significantly better (P = .01) than the 20/105 (logMAR 0.72, SD 0.5) in group B (mean age, 67.8 years). Neither CNV size nor refractive error magnitude influenced visual outcomes. Verteporfin PDT is a promising treatment modality resulting in stable or improved vision in 76% of the myopic eyes with juxtafoveal CNV. Younger patients appear to respond more favorably to treatment.