Weekly Case Presentation 24-8-1401

Photodynamic Therapy (PDT), introduced to ophthalmology in 2000, is a therapeutic procedure which utilizes the photosensitive intravenous drug, verteporfin (Visudyne, Bausch & Lomb) in combination with a low power, long duration infrared laser. In the eye, it is used to treat vascular issues in the retina and choroid. It was first indicated for neovascular age related macular degeneration (AMD), with large randomized clinical trials showed an improvement in visual acuity versus placebo. Photodynamic therapy’s role in ophthalmology was spurred by the success of the treatment of AMD with PDT (TAP) and Verteporfin in PDT (VIP) studies. The studies proved PDT’s efficacy in treating AMD patients with classical subfoveal choroidal neovascularization. As new therapies have evolved, it is now typically used as a second-line treatment for neovascular AMD. PDT is now most often used to effectively treat cases of Central Serous Retinopathy (CSR) and have been shown to be efficacious by several published studies.