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Objective: To determine whether argon green laser (AGL) or krypton red laser (KRL) is superior for the treatment of well-defined extrafoveal choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) after 3 years of follow-up., Design: Multicentre randomized clinical trial., Setting: University-based referral practices in Canada., Participants: Among 210 patients selected by ophthalmologists at 13 participating centres there were 191 eligible patients aged 50 years or more with angiographically proven CNV whose posterior edge was 200 to 2500 microns from the foveal avascular zone. Other inclusion criteria included the presence of drusen in either eye, a best corrected visual acuity in the study eye of at least 35 letters on the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study chart (equivalent of 20/200 or better on the Snellen chart) and no prior photocoagulation in the study eye. The patients were randomly assigned to receive either AGL (96 patients) or KRL (95 patients) treatment., Interventions: Treatment with 200-microns spots of 0.2 to 0.5 seconds' exposure to produce a homogeneous grey white lesion that completely covered the CNV., Outcome Measures: Change from baseline in visual acuity at 1, 2 and 3 years (primary measure), development of persistent or recurrent CNV (secondary measure)., Results: There were no significant differences between the treatment groups in drop-out rates. No significant differences were found between the two groups in loss of visual acuity or angiographic evidence of persistent or recurrent CNV., Conclusion: KRL is no better than AGL in preserving vision and preventing loss of visual acuity in patients with AMD with well-defined extrafoveal CNV followed for 3 years.

The visual prognosis in patients with age-related macular degeneration in whom an acute extensive subretinal hemorrhage develops involving the centre of the fovea is extremely poor. We report our results in seven consecutive patients with acute hemorrhagic age-related macular degeneration who underwent pars plana vitrectomy with internal drainage of blood lying beneath the retina and the retinal pigment epithelium. In three of the patients subretinal choroidal neovascular membranes were also removed. Five patients, including three of the four who underwent surgery within 2 weeks of the onset of symptoms, had improved vision following surgery, in one patient choroidal neovascularization recurred, and one patient experienced no change in vision. The best results were obtained in the four patients who did not undergo deliberate dissection of choroidal neovascular membranes.

The development of subretinal neovascularization as a complication of retinochoroidal coloboma has been reported in only three cases, in only one of which was the patient treated with laser photocoagulation. We report an additional case of subretinal neovascularization associated with retinochoroidal coloboma in a 57-year-old man that was treated with laser photocoagulation. The patient's visual acuity has remained stable at 20/50.

Early vitrectomy was carried out in 22 eyes with proliferative diabetic retinopathy and evidence of partial vitreous detachment in 17 patients with insulin-dependent diabetes. All the eyes had undergone panretinal laser photocoagulation, and all had a visual acuity of 6/12 or better, but 13 had had a vitreous hemorrhage. After a mean follow-up period of 29 months 19 of the eyes had retained the same visual acuity, 18 had been free of renewed vitreous hemorrhage for 6 months, there had been no macular retinal detachments and all the anterior segments were normal. The three instances of persistent visual loss were due to recurrent vitreous hemorrhage.

A 61-year-old woman presented with a superior papillary branch artery obstruction occurring secondary to an intra-arterial embolus. Thirteen months later she developed neovascularization of the optic disc and retina in the same eye. Although the situation is unusual, this case suggests that retinal branch artery obstruction may rarely predispose to ocular neovascularization.

This report analyses the results of cryotherapy in 22 eyes with severe retinopathy of prematurity (acute retrolental fibroplasia) and compares the results with data from other sources on untreated eyes. The evolution of the indications for and methods of treatment, the results of treatment, and related features are discussed. The need for a common terminology and classification of the disease is emphasized.