Purpose: The aim of this prospective clinical study was to evaluate the anatomical and functional results of the treatment of 54 eyes with chronic form of central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) using photodynamic therapy in a reduced (half) verteporfin (HD-PDT) dosing regimen.
Materials and Methods: Our prospective study included 54 eyes of 52 patients (40 males, 12 females) at an average age of 50.1 years (median 49.5, range 30–75 years) treated at the Ophthalmology Clinic of the First Faculty of Medicine and Military University Hospital in Prague from January 2012 to January 2018 for chronic form of CSC with a minimum disease duration of 3 months. In our study, we evaluated the improvement of the best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central retinal thickness (CRT) before treatment and at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after HD-PDT.
Results: The mean baseline BCVA was 68.91 ± 10.5 ETDRS letters (median 71; range 35–85) and the mean baseline CRT was 385.6 ± 118.5 µm (median 367, 5 µm; range 245–1000 µm). At the end of the follow-up period, the average BCVA was 79 ± 11 ETDRS letters (median 82; range 38–93). The improvement in BCVA before and after treatment was statistically significant in all measurements (p < 0.0001). The mean CRT at the end of the follow-up period was 263.5 ± 52 µm (median 258.5 µm; range 162–404 µm). The decrease in CRT at all timepoints was statistically significant compared to baseline (p < 0.0001). In our set of patients, at the end of the follow-up period, the retinal finding was improved or stabilized in 50 eyes (92.6 %). In this study, we observed in 2 cases the development of secondary choroidal neovascularization (CNV).
Conclusion: HD-PDT is a long-term safe and effective method of treating chronic forms of CSC. However, despite a reduced dose of verteporfin, complications may occur.