SCIENTIFIC REPORT Subretinal fibrosis after photodynamic therapy in subfoveal choroidal neovascularisation in highly myopic eyes

Aims: To analyse the occurrence of subretinal fibrosis (SRF) after photodynamic therapy (PDT) with verteporfin in highly myopic eyes with subfoveal choroidal neovascularisation (CNV). Methods: PDT with verteporfin was performed on 33 eyes of 32 highly myopic patients with subfoveal CNV. Patients were followed for 14–24 months and best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and angiographic and funduscopic findings were recorded. Results: Two patients (two eyes) were lost to follow up. SRF appeared in 14 of 31 eyes. SRF appeared more frequently in eyes with a spherical equivalent (SE) of less than −10 D, in patients of age equal to or less than 55 years, and when CNVs were larger than 1500 μm in diameter. SRF appeared more frequently in the group of patients with worse final BCVA. Conclusions: The appearance of SRF after treatment is correlated with size of the CNV and SE. The results of this study indicate that highly myopic eyes with CNV treated with PDT do not show a decrease in BCVA, even though they develop SRF. The appearance of SRF after PDT in highly myopic CNV does not always imply a loss of BCVA from baseline, though its presence is more frequent in eyes with lower BCVA.