Photodynamic therapy with verteporfin for subfoveal choroidal neovascularization secondary to pathologic myopia: long-term study.

Purpose: To assess the safety and effectiveness of photodynamic therapy (PDT) with verteporfin for subfoveal choroidal neovascularization (CNV) secondary to pathologic myopia (PM). Methods: Sixty-two patients (62 eyes) with PM underwent PDT according to the guidelines of the Verteporfin in Photodynamic Therapy Study. Clinical evaluations performed at all study visits included measurement of best-corrected Snellen visual acuity, slit-lamp biomicroscopy, and fundus fluorescein angiography. Patients were followed up at 1 month and 3 months after treatment and thereafter at 3-month intervals. Results: The final visual acuity of the study patients, after a median follow-up of 31 months, improved by 1 Snellen lines in 8 patients (13%), deteriorated in 20 (32%), and remained stable in 34 (55%). The baseline visual acuity was similar in the various study groups. The final mean visual acuity in group A (55 years of age or younger) was 20/80 and significantly (P 0.006) better than that (20/138) in group B (older than 55 years of age). The mean final visual acuity in eyes with higher refractive error at baseline (greater than 17 diopters) was significantly better (P 0.014) than that in eyes with lower refractive error ( 6 to 10 diopters). CNV size did not affect visual outcomes. Conclusion: PDT preserves vision in patients with CNV associated with PM. Younger patients and eyes with higher refractive error appear more likely to benefit from PDT with verteporfin.