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Although choriocapillaris flow deficit (CFD) around choroidal neovascularization (CNV) is less associated with CNV activity in myopic eyes, no reports are investigating its size as an indicator of CNV activity. We investigated the relationship between CFD and high myopia-related CNV. In this retrospective, observational study, patients underwent optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) with split-spectrum amplitude-decorrelation angiography for diagnosing pathological myopic CNV (mCNV); CFD features around CNV margins were evaluated. Of the 33 eyes (30 patients), 11 (33.3%) had active mCNV, and 22 (66.7%) had inactive CNV. Six eyes (18.2%) were treatment-naïve, while the remainder previously underwent anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy. On OCTA, blood flow signals were detected in CNV in the outer retinal layer in 28 (84.8%) eyes, including all active cases (11 cases) and 17 (77.3%) of 22 inactive cases. CNV flow signal size correlated significantly with activity (P < 0.001). CFD around CNV was observed in 24 eyes (72.7%), including all active cases (11 cases) and 13 (59.1%) of 22 inactive cases. CFD size correlated significantly with CNV activity (P < 0.001). The size of both the CFD area around CNV and CNV flow signal area are useful indicators of CNV activity in eyes with mCNV, which may help determine treatment timing., (© 2021. The Author(s).)

Purpose: To report the morphological and clinical features of a case of pachychoroid disease with focal choroidal excavation and large choroidal excavation complicated by choroidal neovascularization., Methods: The patient underwent a complete ophthalmologic examination including best-corrected visual acuity assessment, anterior segment and dilated fundus examination, fluorescein and indocyanine green angiography, and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography., Results: During the previous follow-up, the 57-year-old man received a diagnosis of central serous chorioretinopathy in the right eye with a late appearance of a choroidal neovascularization. The best-corrected visual acuity was 20/125 and 20/20 in the right and left eye, respectively. Dilated fundus examination, fluorescein angiography, and indocyanine green angiography confirmed a large subretinal fibrosis corresponding to the evolution of the choroidal neovascularization in the right eye. Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography clearly demonstrated in the right eye a large choroidal excavation below the fibrotic neovascular lesion with multiple hyperreflective foci inside the cavity, and in the left eye, a conforming focal choroidal excavation, bowl-shape type, associated with increased choroidal thickness with pachyvessels., Conclusion: Large choroidal excavation has been rarely reported. Although the pathogenetic mechanisms leading to the formation of large choroidal excavation are still only hypotheses, a combination of primary degenerative inflammatory factors sustaining the focal choroidal excavation formation and disruptive process of the choroidal neovascularization could be retained responsible for the large choroidal excavation.

Purpose: To evaluate choroidal vascular structure in eyes with central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) by assessing the choroidal vascular index (CVI)., Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of 117 eyes with CSC. Subjects were divided into 4 groups according to clinical characteristics: 1) acute CSC (N = 29), 2) non-neovascularized chronic CSC without flat irregular pigment epithelial detachment (N = 49), 3) non-neovascularized chronic CSC with flat irregular pigment epithelial detachment (N = 21), and 4) chronic CSC with choroidal neovascularization (N = 18). Subfoveal choroidal area (1,500 mm) of swept source optical coherence tomography scans were divided into luminal and stromal areas by the image binarization technique. The CVI was defined as the ratio of the luminal to the total subfoveal choroidal area., Results: The CVI was significantly lower in eyes of Group 4 than those of other groups (all P < 0.05). The subfoveal choroidal thickness was significantly lower in Group 4 than in Groups 1 and 2 (P < 0.05), but regression analysis showed no association with the CVI., Conclusion: Decreased CVI may reflect choroidal vascular structure changes in eyes with choroidal neovascularization complicating CSC. These findings suggest that the CVI could be useful for evaluating choroidal vascular changes in eyes with CSC.

Purpose: To describe the optical coherence tomography (OCT) angiography features of subretinal fibrosis in eyes with myopic choroidal neovascularization after natural evolution or secondary to intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor therapy., Methods: Retrospective observational case series. All eyes underwent a multimodal imaging examination including fluorescein angiography, spectral domain OCT, OCT angiography, and en face OCT., Results: Twenty-five eyes of 25 patients with mean age of 56.4 ± 14.9 were included in the study. Subretinal fibrosis was diagnosed at mean 30 (range 6-116) months before inclusion. Within the subretinal fibrosis, an abnormal vascular network was observed in 20/25 (80%) eyes, located typically in the outer retina (18/20, 90%) or the choriocapillaris (14/20, 70%) segmentation. The most prevalent patterns were "round tangle" and "tapered tangle." On en face OCT, the subretinal fibrosis was evidenced in 24/25 (96%) eyes, most prevalently in the outer retina (21/25, 84%) and in the choriocapillaris (18/25, 72%), where main feature was white-hyperreflective (20/21, 95%) and dark-hyporeflective (17/18, 94%) appearance, respectively. The presence of subretinal fibrosis on en face OCT was positively correlated with the presence of abnormal vascular network on OCT angiography in 61% of the cases (P = 0.005)., Conclusion: Subretinal fibrosis secondary to myopic choroidal neovascularization frequently contains blood flow within a persistent abnormal vascular network as assessed by OCT angiography.

Purpose : To evaluate the long-term outcome of active choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in punctate inner choroidopathy (PIC) or multifocal choroiditis (MFC) after intravitreal bevacizumab treatment. Methods : Retrospective study of consecutive patients of PIC/MFC complicated with active CNV. Outcome measures included best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), total number of intravitreal injections of bevacizumab and recurrence of CNV. Correlation analysis was performed to find the correlation of various clinical factors and final BCVA. Results : There were 23 eyes in 22 patients with a mean age of 33.22 years included in this study. The mean duration of follow-up was 6.48 years. Improvement of BCVA was noted through the first 3 years and at the final follow-up. BCVA at 1, 6, 12 months and recurrence of CNV were correlated with final BCVA. Conclusion : Most patients of PIC/MFC complicated with CNV managed with intravitreal bevacizumab had improved BCVA over 4 years.

Purpose: To compare 5-year real-world outcomes of eyes with classic and occult choroidal neovascularization (CNV) treated with anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) injections., Design: Retrospective analysis from a prospectively designed observational database., Methods: Treatment-naïve eyes diagnosed with occult or minimally or predominantly classic CNV that commenced anti-VEGF treatment between January 2007 and December 2012 were identified from a registry of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) treatment outcomes. Baseline characteristics, visual acuity (VA) at 5 years, change in VA, time to first inactivation, number of injections, and proportion of visits graded with active nAMD over the 5 years were compared between the 3 groups., Results: A total of 1929 eyes from 1730 subjects (1196 occult, 289 minimally classic, and 444 predominantly classic CNV) were analyzed. Baseline VA (mean [standard deviation]) was higher in occult CNVs (56.9 [17.4] letters) than in minimally (52.9 [19.7] letters) and predominantly (49.1 [19.9] letters) classic CNVs (P = .003 and P < .0001, respectively). VA change was similar across the groups. At 5 years eyes with occult CNVs still had better VA than other CNVs. Age, lesion size, and baseline VA, but not CNV type, significantly affected final VA in the multivariate model. Predominantly classic CNVs became inactive sooner and were overall less active than other CNV types. The number of injections received was similar across the groups., Conclusions: Eyes with occult CNVs had overall a better VA than other CNVs. The difference in final VA was not significant after adjusting for baseline VA. Five-year outcomes and treatment patterns were not affected by the lesion type., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To determine the 5-year outcome of intravitreal ranibizumab (IVR) for myopic choroidal neovascularization (CNV)., Method: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of 51 eyes of 51 consecutive patients with myopic CNV who had been treated with IVR with a minimum follow-up period of 5 years after the initial IVR injection. The factors that predicted the best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) at 5 years after IVR were determined by multiple regression analysis., Results: The mean age of the subjects was 63.6 years, and the mean axial length was 29.4 mm. The mean number of IVR was 1.6, and 34 eyes (66.7%) had only a single IVR. At the baseline and at the 1-year, 2-year, 4-year, and 5-year period, the mean BCVAs were 20/49, 20/37, 20/41, 20/45, and 20/42, respectively. Stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that the BCVA at 5-year period was significantly correlated with the baseline BCVA, the number of IVR injections, and the size of the CNV-related macular atrophy., Conclusion: Intravitreal ranibizumab provide a 5-year visual benefit in eyes with myopic CNV compared with the natural course. A lack of enlargement of the CNV-related macular atrophy, a better baseline BCVA, and a minimum number of IVR injections were associated with better visual outcomes.

Purpose: To compare the difference in the rate of survival of unaffected fellow eyes between choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in the first eyes and retinal angiomatous proliferation (RAP) in the first eyes., Design: Cohort retrospective study., Participants: A total of 329 consecutive patients enrolled in our Eye Clinic between February 2006 and November 2014 were involved in the study. Only patients with naïve unilateral forms of neovascularization in 1 eye were included in this study., Methods: A clinical database containing patients' data and ocular history was evaluated. Only patients with naive lesions in 1 eye and without signs of neovascular AMD in the fellow eye were included in the analysis. The time of absence of neovascularization in the fellow eye was calculated., Main Outcome Measures: Survival of the fellow eye was estimated by Kaplan-Meier analysis, and log-rank test was used to compare CNV and RAP fellow eye survival., Results: A total of 202 eyes affected by CNV and 39 eyes affected by RAP were enrolled in the study. The mean follow-up time was 2.9 years (range, 182-2461 days) for CNV and 2.6 years (range, 519-1504 days) for RAP. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the 50% of the fellow eyes with CNV did not develop neovascularization for 5.3 years, whereas the 50% of the fellow eyes with RAP did not develop neovascularization for 3.5 years. Log-rank test showed a highly significant difference between the 2 curves (P < 0.002)., Conclusions: This study showed that the incidence of neovascularization in the unaffected fellow eye increases with time, and when the first eye is affected by RAP, the development of a lesion in the second eye is more premature., (Copyright © 2018 American Academy of Ophthalmology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This study reports the onset of a choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in a young patient affected with Best macular dystrophy (BMD) using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) and describes its changes after photodynamic therapy (PDT). In the patient's right eye (OD), OCTA scans demonstrated a large, tangled, and well-demarcated vascular network at the outer retinal (OR) and choriocapillaris (CC) layers. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 20/40 OD. Twenty days after PDT, BCVA OD improved (20/30), and the macular hemorrhage was significantly reduced. OCTA showed regression of the vascular network both in the OR and CC layers, with a significant reduction of the internal anastomosis and connection in absence of ischemic complication at the choriocapillaris. The authors concluded that OCTA is the best imaging technique for precise diagnosis and follow-up of the choroidal neovascularization in children affected with BMD. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina. 2018;49:969-973.]., (Copyright 2018, SLACK Incorporated.)

Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest

Purpose: To investigate the characteristics and clinical course of hyperpigmented spots after submacular hemorrhage secondary to polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV)., Methods: This retrospective, observational study included 87 eyes initially treated with three anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) injections for submacular hemorrhage secondary to PCV. Patients were divided into two groups according to the presence of multiple small, dark-gray or black, pigmented lesions after initial treatment: the hyperpigmented spots group and no-hyperpigmented spots group. Baseline characteristics and re-activation of the lesion were compared between the two groups., Results: The mean follow-up period was 30.6 ± 12.9 months, and 41 eyes (47.1%) were included in the hyperpigmented spots group. The hyperpigmented spots group exhibited greater extent of hemorrhage (P < 0.001) and greater central foveal thickness (P = 0.045) than did the no-hyperpigmented spots group. In the hyperpigmented spots group, re-activation of the lesion was noted in 17 eyes (41.5%) at a mean duration of 15.4 ± 12.7 months after the third anti-VEGF injection. In the no-hyperpigmented spots group, re-activation was noted in 28 eyes (60.9%) at a mean duration of 6.4 ± 4.0 months after the third injection. Kaplan-Meier analysis with log-rank test revealed a significant difference in the re-activation of the lesion between the two groups (P = 0.006)., Conclusions: Hyperpigmented spots were associated with a large amount of submacular hemorrhage in PCV. The low incidence of re-activation and late re-activation of the lesion in eyes with hyperpigmented spots suggest that a novel follow-up and treatment strategy is required for this condition.

Purpose: To examine a large cohort of subjects with punctate inner choroidopathy (PIC) looking at risk factors for development of choroidal neovascular membrane (CNVM) and visual loss., Design: Retrospective case series., Participants: A total of 203 participants (318 eyes) with PIC seen at Moorfields Eye Hospital between 1996 and 2016., Methods: Information was gathered from the clinical notes of all subjects identified with PIC., Main Outcome Measures: Development of CNVM, moderate visual loss (MVL) (≤20/50), and severe visual loss (SVL) (≤20/200)., Results: Participants were predominantly young (median age at presentation, 32.9 years; interquartile range [IQR], 26.1-42.2), myopic (91.5%), female (87.2%), and white (75.9%). Disease was bilateral at presentation in 115 participants (56.7%), and CNVM was present at presentation in 152 eyes (47.8%). Median follow-up was 8.4 years. New CNVM occurred in 58 eyes (33.5% of affected eyes and 4.3% of initially unaffected eyes). An increased risk of developing CNVM was associated with the presence of a CNVM in the fellow eye (P < 0.0005; hazard ratio [HR], 2.73), and previous oral corticosteroid treatment was associated with halving of the risk of developing CNVM (P = 0.035; HR, 0.45). No difference was observed in visual outcome with oral corticosteroids, but subjects treated with anti-VEGF had better visual outcomes (12-month median visual acuity, logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution [logMAR] 0.00 with anti-VEGF and 0.20 without; P = 0.018). Median best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 20/30 at presentation (IQR, 0.00-0.50) and remained at 20/30 throughout all follow-up periods. Moderate visual loss occurred in 40 eyes (12.6%), with an incidence of 0.01 per eye-year, and SVL occurred in 49 eyes (15.4%), with an incidence of 0.01 per eye-year. Female participants were half as likely as male participants to develop MVL (P = 0.030; HR, 0.448), and participants with CNVM had a higher risk of MVL (P = 0.003; HR, 21.074)., Conclusions: Visual loss is common in subjects with PIC, predominantly secondary to late development of CNVM. Treatment with oral corticosteroids may help to reduce the risk of CNVM development, and anti-VEGF therapy for CNVM was associated with better clinical outcomes., (Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Ophthalmology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To compare the changes in subfoveal choroidal thickness after intravitreal ranibizumab or aflibercept injections for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD)., Methods: In this retrospective study, 28 eyes with nAMD treated with 3 consecutive monthly injections of ranibizumab (IVR) and 24 eyes with nAMD treated with 3 consecutive monthly injections of aflibercept (IVA) between September 2012 and June 2016 were reviewed. The follow-up time was 6 months. Changes in two groups' best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and subfoveal choroidal thickness by using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography at 1st, 3rd and 6th months were recorded and compared., Results: Choroidal thickness decreased significantly in eyes treated with IVR (P=0.015, 0.01 and 0.01, respectively) or IVA (P=0.001, 0.001 and ˂0.001, respectively) at 1, 3 and 6 months examination but IVA treated eyes presented a significantly further reduction in choroidal thickness when compared with ranibizumab (P=0.03, 0,04 and 0.03, respectively). There was no significant difference between aflibercept and ranibizumab group when change in BCVA from baseline compared at 1, 3 and 6th months (P=0.54, 0.06 and 0.37, respectively). There was no correlation between change in choroidal thickness and the BCVA outcomes in either group., Conclusions: Subfoveal choroidal thickness decreased significantly after both of IVR and IVA injections in patients with nAMD. In conclusion, intravitreal injections of ranibizumab or aflibercept affect not only neovascular lesion but also the underlying choroid., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To determine if changes in pigment epithelial detachment (PED) area and volume predict retreatment in polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV)., Design: Retrospective case-control study., Methods: PCV patients on pro re nata (PRN) anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy with >1 year follow-up at an academic retina service were included. Monthly anti-VEGF injections were given until a dry macula was achieved, and treatment deferred. Retreatment indication was recurrence of intraretinal or subretinal fluid or new hemorrhage. PED area and volume changes between visits with a dry macula ("D") and immediate preceding visits ("D-1") were analyzed with an automated optical coherence tomography-based software. Univariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to determine associations between changes in PED parameters and retreatment need at immediate subsequent visits ("D+1")., Results: Twenty-two PCV patients (mean age 69.6 years) were included. Of 46 visits D, 11 (23.9%) were followed by retreatment at D+1. An increase in PED area (>0.43 mm 2 ) and volume (>0.0245 mm 3 ) from D-1 to D was associated with 18.2 (95% CI, 3.7-125.6; P < .001) and 101.9 (95% CI, 9.5-14 308.0; P < .001) higher retreatment odds at D+1, respectively. These associations remained significant after multivariate analyses adjusting for baseline PED area or volume, greatest linear dimension, and type of anti-VEGF agent., Conclusion: In PCV on PRN anti-VEGF therapy, increases in PED area and volume at one visit, despite achievement of a dry macula, are associated with retreatment at the next visit. Retreatment criteria relying on intraretinal or subretinal fluid or new hemorrhages may be expanded to include PED changes. Studies are needed to determine if using PED parameters in treatment decisions reduces recurrences., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Macular edema is most often clinically defined as an accumulation of serous fluid within the neurosensory retina with increased thickness of the central retina. In exudative age-related macular degeneration the leakage of fluid from the choroidal new vessels may be the origin of macular edema. Their abnormal permeability and the inflammatory reaction are mechanisms involved in this accumulation of fluid, which occurs in all layers. Cystoid macular edema is more often associated with subepithelial occult choroidal neovascularization (CNV) than it is with pre-epithelial classic CNV. The simultaneous presence of choroidal new vessels and ME implies a number of cellular dysfunctions especially of Müller cells and subsequently metabolic alterations. The leakage from the choroidal new vessels, predominantly vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-induced, may produce a large accumulation of fluid under the neurosensory retina. It is also likely that the key signaling steps occur prior to the upregulation of VEGF either initiated by, or facilitated by, cytokines, which act under normal basic conditions to counterbalance the integral VEGF effects and, in pathologic circumstances, may either counteract or serve to amplify the process., (© 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Purpose: To describe two cases of choroidal hemorrhage caused by optic disk drusen-induced choroidal neovascularization simulating uveal melanoma., Methods: Observational case reports of two patients and brief review of the literature., Results: Two patients were referred with pigmented juxtapapillary lesions concerning for choroidal melanoma. Multimodal imaging revealed the presence of optic disk drusen with overlying choroidal neovascular membranes and peripapillary choroidal hemorrhage. Both patients were treated with antivascular endothelial growth factor and the lesions resolved., Conclusion: In the setting of diagnostic uncertainty, careful multimodal imaging can assist in distinguishing between malignant choroidal melanoma and a benign simulating lesion. Optic disk drusen with associated neovascularization and hemorrhage should be included in the list of pseudomelanomas.

Purpose: To demonstrate the detection of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in clinically diagnosed central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) by optical coherence tomographic angiography (OCTA)., Methods: Seventy-five eyes of 70 patients were included. OCTA was performed on each patient. Two trained readers evaluated the images independently to confirm the diagnosis and identify CNV at the level of the outer retina., Results: All studied eyes presented characteristics consistent with CSC based on eye examination and traditional imaging technologies, including fundus fluorescein angiography, which showed no evidence of CNV. However, OCTA revealed definite abnormal vascularization at the level of the outer retina in 8 eyes (10.7%) of 8 patients (11.4%)., Conclusion: This study suggests that in some cases of CSC, OCTA could be an alternative option to detect CNV that is undetectable by other conventional imaging techniques., (© 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Purpose: To analyze choroidal, Sattler's, and Haller's layer thickness maps in age-related macular degeneration (AMD) patients having eyes with bilateral large drusen and pigment changes (intermediate AMD), in patients having intermediate AMD eyes with neovascular fellow eyes (nAMD), and in healthy subjects using three-dimensional (3D) 1060-nm optical coherence tomography (OCT)., Methods: Automatically generated choroidal thickness (ChT), retinal thickness, and Sattler's and Haller's layer thickness maps were statistically analyzed in 67 subjects consisting of intermediate AMD (n = 21), intermediate AMD (n = 22) with fellow nAMD eyes (n = 22), and healthy eyes (n = 24) with no age and axial eye length difference between groups of eyes (P > 0.05, ANOVA). Eyes were imaged by a prototype high-speed (60,000 A-scans/s) spectral-domain 3D 1060-nm OCT over a 36° × 36° field of view., Results: The mean ± SD (μm) subfoveal ChT for healthy subjects and for bilateral intermediate AMD, unilateral intermediate AMD, and their nAMD fellow eyes was 259 ± 95 and 222 ± 98, 149 ± 60, and 171 ± 78, respectively. Choroidal thickness maps demonstrated significant submacular thinning in unilateral intermediate AMD in comparison to healthy and bilateral intermediate AMD eyes (P < 0.001, ANOVA, post hoc P < 0.001 and P < 0.05, respectively). Sattler's and Haller's layers were thinnest in intermediate AMDs that presented with nAMD fellow eyes (Kruskal-Wallis test P < 0.01). For the choroid and its sublayers, there was no difference between the intermediate AMD eyes and their fellow nAMD eyes (paired testing, P < 0.05)., Conclusions: The 3D 1060-nm OCT choroidal imaging visualized significant changes in choroidal, Sattler's, and Haller's layer thickness in relation to the progression of AMD. This may be important for understanding the choroidopathy in the pathophysiology of AMD., (Copyright 2014 The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Inc.)

Purpose: To compare the choroidal volume (CV) between emmetropic and highly myopic eyes, and to assess if the presence of myopic fundus abnormalities, myopic traction maculopathy, or choroidal neovascularization affects the CV., Methods: We retrospectively reviewed imaging studies of 98 eyes of 98 patients who underwent CV measurement on optical coherence tomography. We included 31 emmetropic eyes (Group 1), 36 highly myopic eyes without vitreoretinal or choroidal pathologies (Group 2), 21 highly myopic eyes with traction maculopathy (Group 3), and 10 highly myopic eyes with history of choroidal neovascularization (Group 3). Eyes with chorioretinal atrophy were excluded. Regression analysis was performed to evaluate the correlation between CV and multiple variables., Results: Choroidal volume was lower in Group 2 than in Group 1 (P < 0.001), and in Groups 3 and 4 than in Group 2 (P < 0.001 and P = 0.002, respectively). Age (P = 0.002), axial length (P < 0.001), sex (P = 0.047), staphyloma (P < 0.001), and myopic group (P = 0.05) were independent predictors for the final CV (R = 0.645). In highly myopic eyes, CV decreased by 0.32 mm for every 10 years and by 0.49 mm per millimeter of axial length., Conclusion: Choroidal thinning is present in highly myopic eyes compared with emmetropic eyes, and is related to age, axial length, sex, and staphyloma. However, myopic eyes with coexisting myopic traction maculopathy or history of choroidal neovascularization have more severe thinning, likely leading to insufficient metabolic supplementation for the macula.

Aims: To determine the prevalence of polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) in patients with presumed neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) who were considered poor responders to ranibizumab., Methods: Caucasian patients with suspected neovascular AMD, presumed to be choroidal neovascularisation, previously treated with ≥8 intravitreal injections of ranibizumab 0.5 mg (Lucentis; Novartis AG, Basel, Switzerland) administered as required during optical coherence tomography-guided dosing were retrospectively included. Eyes were categorised according to the time from injection 1 to injection 6 (group 1: <12 months; group 2: ≥12 months). Indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) was used to re-evaluate eyes for PCV. Suitable candidates received reduced-fluence photodynamic therapy/ranibizumab combination therapy supplemented by ranibizumab monotherapy, as required., Results: 202 eyes were included (group 1: 73.8%; group 2: 26.2%). The prevalence of PCV in group 1 (21.5%) was significantly higher than in group 2 (3.8%; p=0.003). After initiation of combination therapy, 16 eyes with PCV received 3.1±2.5 ranibizumab injections/year vs 8.4±2.4 injections/year before initiation of combination therapy (p<0.001)., Conclusions: In Caucasian patients with presumed neovascular AMD, PCV prevalence is increased in eyes that respond poorly to ranibizumab monotherapy. ICGA improved PCV diagnosis in poor responders; combination therapy may be beneficial for eyes with PCV.

Purpose: To evaluate choroidal thickness in patients with idiopathic choroidal neovascularization., Methods: The observational case series study included patients who were consecutively diagnosed with idiopathic unilateral choroidal neovascularization as demonstrated by ophthalmoscopy, fluorescein angiography and enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography (EDI-OCT). Using EDI-OCT, choroidal thickness was measured at the fovea and at locations in a distance of 500, 1,000 and 1,500 μm temporal and nasal to the fovea., Results: Mean subfoveal choroidal thickness was significantly (p = 0.002) thicker in the study group than in the control group (357 ± 99 vs. 316 ± 83 μm). In a parallel manner, the differences between the study group and the control group in choroidal thickness were significant for all other measurement points, except for the examination at 1,500 μm nasal to the fovea (p = 0.09). The results remained unchanged after adjusting for axial length and age., Conclusions: Idiopathic unilateral choroidal neovascularization is associated with a thickening of the choroid., (© 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Purpose: To measure macular choroidal thickness (CT) using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) in eyes with myopic macular choroidal neovascularization (CNV), and to compare choroidal thickness in these eyes with highly myopic eyes without CNV., Patients and Methods: Sixty-four eyes with myopic CNV matched with 64 highly myopic eyes without CNV by age and axial length (AL) were examined between January 2010 and November 2011. OCT scans were performed with spectral-domain OCT (TOPCON OCT 2000). The reference position was changed from the vitreous to the choroid. OCT scan patterns consisted of seven sections; the subfoveal CT was measured manually between Bruch's membrane and the internal portion of the sclera in eyes with CNV and from the pigment epithelium to the scleral interface in eyes without CNV., Results: In the subgroup with CNV, the mean subfoveal CT was 51.71 μm ± 17.35. A statistically significant negative correlation was found between CT and AL (r=-0.615, P=0.0001). Regression analysis demonstrated a decrease of 8.4 μm per mm of AL. In the subgroup without CNV, matched with the CNV subgroup by age (P=0.597), and AL (P=0.813), the mean subfoveal CT was 93.35 μm ± 34.81 μm. The difference between the two subgroups was statistically significant (P<10(-4))., Discussion: Macular choroidal thickness is reduced in high myopia, especially when complicated by CNV. It has not yet been shown that choroidal thinning may be a risk factor for choroidal neovascularization, but our results may suggest that macular choroidal thinning may lead to hypoxic retinal changes resulting in secretion of VEGF and thus CNV., Conclusion: Macular choroidal thinning observed in high myopia with CNV. These findings may suggest that choroidal changes may play a role in the pathogenesis of choroidal neovascularization., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To analyze the contribution of fluorescein angiography (FA) and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD OCT) to the diagnosis of recent choroidal neovascularization (CNV) associated with high myopia., Design: Retrospective, observational case series., Methods: Ninety eyes of 73 highly myopic patients (refractive error ≥-6 diopters) with CNV in 1 or both eyes were included. Epidemiologic features, refractive error, fundus examination, fluorescein angiography, and SD OCT findings at onset of CNV were analyzed., Results: Mean age at onset of CNV was 54.4 ± 14 years. CNV was bilateral in 17 of 73 cases. Mean refractive error was -13.9 ± 5.2 diopters. Myopic CNV was associated more frequently with patchy or geographic atrophy (P = .019). CNV was associated with exudative features on fluorescein angiography in 82% of cases (64/78), and on SD OCT in 48.6% of cases (36/74). There was no agreement about signs of active CNV between these 2 imaging methods (κ = 25.7 ± 10%; P = .0044). CNV area was significantly smaller in younger patients (<55 years) than in older patients (0.57 mm(2) vs 1.21 mm(2), respectively; P = .023)., Conclusions: Exudative features of myopic CNV are more obvious on FA than on SD OCT, suggesting that fluorescein angiography should be performed when new-onset myopic CNV is suspected. Myopic CNV occurring in older patients (≥55 years) is larger than those seen in younger patients and resembles CNV associated with age-related macular degeneration. This suggests an overlap between myopic CNV in older patients and age-related macular degeneration., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To report a patient with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) with spontaneous regression of subfoveal changes during follow-up., Material and Methods: The seventy six years old men was referred to the treatment of exudative type of age related macular degeneration (AMD) in the RE. The routine ophthalmological examination, the optical coherence tomography (OCT), fluorescein angiography (FA), and indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) were performed., Results: Decreasing of visual acuity of the RE and abnormal result of the Amsler test, hemorrhagic and exudative changes near inferior-temporalis vascular arcade were observed. Intraretinal fluid in the OCT was noted. FA revealed parapapillaris changes suggesting CNV. ICGA showed the presence of branching vascular network extending from choroidal vasculature (BVN) and polypoidal and aneurysmal vascular terminal lesion (PL) localized under retinal pigment epithelium (RPE)., Conclusions: Based on the results PCV was diagnosed and the patient was referred to laserotherapy. Due to the regression of the eye fundus changes during the period of observation, confirmed by control OCT and FA the treatment was not implemented.

Purpose: To investigate the development of polypoidal lesions using indocyanine green angiography (IA) in eyes with typical age-related macular degeneration (AMD)., Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 47 consecutive patients (47 eyes) with typical AMD who had been followed up with IA for at least 2 years., Results: At the initial visit, although all eyes showed classic and/or occult choroidal neovascularization (CNV) associated with AMD, no eyes showed polypoidal lesions by IA. However, during follow-up, 13 (27.7%) of the 47 eyes did show polypoidal lesions. All polypoidal lesions developed at the edge of persistent CNV or, more often, at the terminus of recently progressed CNV. Of 12 eyes with a final lesion area >8 disc area, 7 (58.3%) showed newly developed polypoidal lesions. In the eyes with these newly developed polypoidal lesions, the mean area of the vascular lesion had extended significantly from 10.50 ± 7.88 mm² to 20.87 ± 10.21 mm² during follow-up (P=0.0018)., Conclusion: The current observation suggests that IA of active AMD sometimes reveals polypoidal lesions if there is progression of the CNV in the subretinal pigment epithelium space.

Background: When we classified neovascular exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) into three types of polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV), typical AMD, and retinal angiomatous proliferation (RAP) in our previous study, we reported 5.5% had the combined cases, such as one eye had PCV and the other eye had typical AMD. We examined the clinical characteristics of these combined cases in the current study., Methods: All cases underwent fluorescein and indocyanine green angiography (FA and ICGA) at the initial examination. All PCV cases were diagnosed definitively based on characteristic aneurysmal lesions seen on ICGA. Follow-up examinations also were conducted to determine whether polypoidal lesions had developed in the eyes with typical AMD., Results: Among 349 patients with neovascular AMD, 20 (5.7%) had one eye with PCV and the other eye with typical AMD. The average age was 73 years. The mean best-corrected visual acuity levels at the initial examination in eyes with PCV and typical AMD were 0.20 and 0.43, respectively (p=0.09). All subgroups of classic and occult CNV were observed in the eyes with typical AMD on FA. During the follow-up period (average, 21.7 months), PCV developed in ten eyes with typical AMD at the initial examination., Conclusions: Although some cases might include different stages of progression or probable cases of PCV, the combined cases in which one eye has PCV and the other eye has typical AMD suggest that those clinical entities are not independent and possibly overlap.

Macular edema (ME) is most often clinically defined as an accumulation of serous fluid within the neurosensory retina with increased thickness of the central retina. In exudative age-related macular degeneration the leakage of fluid from the choroidal new vessels may be the origin of ME. Their abnormal permeability and the inflammatory reaction are mechanisms involved in this accumulation of fluid, which occurs in all layers. Cystoid ME is more often associated with subepithelial occult choroidal neovascularization (CNV) than it is with pre-epithelial classic CNV. The simultaneous presence of choroidal new vessels and ME implies a number of cellular dysfunctions and metabolic alternations. The leakage from the choroidal new vessels, predominantly VEGF-induced, may produce a large accumulation of fluid under the neurosensory retina. It is also likely that the key signalling steps occur prior to the upregulation of VEGF either initiated by, or facilitated by, cytokines, which act under normal basic conditions to counterbalance the integral VEGF effects and, in pathologic circumstances, may either counteract or serve to amplify the process., (2010 S. Karger AG, Basel)

Purpose: To report autologous choroidal RPE patch transplantation for treatment of submacular hemorrhage in a patients with age related macular degeneration., Material and Methods: A case report of a patient with sudden vision deterioration due to submacular hemorrhage in AMD. The visual acuity was 5/5 in the right eye and 0.5/50 in the left eye. He was treated with autologous choroidal RPE patch transplantation. Outcome measures included preoperative and postoperative visual acuity at 1, 3, 6 months, duration of hemorrhage, hemorrhage size on preoperative fluorescein angiography and thickness of the subretinal hemorrhagic complex on preoperative and postoperative OCT scans., Results: Visual acuity improved from 0.5/50 to 5/50 in 6 months follow-up. No major intraoperative and postoperative complications were observed. The perfusion of the graft was confirmed in ICG angiography., Conclusions: Autologous choroidal RPE patch transplantation is an effective option for submacular hemorrhage treatment in AMD. Unlike macular translocation, the surgery can be performed even in patients with excellent visual acuity in the fellow eye.

Background: To describe the 2- to 4-year visual and microperimetry outcomes of autologous retinal pigment epithelium (RPE)-choroid graft in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD)., Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, 12 patients with subfoveal neovascular AMD who had undergone autologous RPE-choroid graft between August 2004 and June 2005 were reviewed. Change in visual acuity (VA), contrast sensitivity (CS), fixation stability and retinal sensitivity on microperimetry after 2-3 years and the rates of late postoperative complications were examined., Results: Patients were followed for 26-48 months (mean, 39). Median preoperative VA (logMAR) was 0.87 but declined to 1.43 (1 year), 1.46 (2 years) and 1.38 (3 years), P = 0.001. Median CS (logCS) was 0.75 preoperatively but declined to 0.45 at 2 years. Six patients had serial microperimetry. Fixation stability declined in 1 but improved in 2 patients. All 6 had decline in retinal sensitivity over the graft during follow up. Retinal detachment did not occur after 12 months but 8 developed epiretinal membrane, 12 had cystic retinal change over the graft and 4 developed recurrent choroidal neovascularization. However, 10 grafts retained autofluorescence signal at 18-48 months of follow up., Conclusions: Autologous RPE-choroid graft can maintain VA, stable fixation and retinal sensitivity in some patients for over 3 years. The spatial correlation between graft autofluorescence, outer retinal structures on optical coherence tomography and retinal sensitivity are consistent with photoreceptor cell rescue. However, we caution the use of this technique as there is high complication rate and delayed loss of retinal function.

Aim: To investigate whether retinal pigment epithelium (RPE)-choroid translocation would be a suitable treatment for RPE tears, which have a poor prognosis and are encountered more often since the introduction of anti-(vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)) therapy for exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD)., Methods: Prospective interventional case series of six eyes of six patients with AMD with an RPE tear treated with an RPE-choroid translocation. The RPE tear occurred in a vascularised pigment epithelium detachment in four patients and after treatment in the other two. Preoperative and postoperative evaluation included ETDRS visual acuity (VA) and fixation testing. The follow-up period ranged from 6 months to 2 years., Results: The mean preoperative VA was 20/160 (range 20/400-20/80). The mean VA at the last examination after surgery was 20/80 (range 1/60-20/50). One of the six patients had a preoperative VA of >/=20/80, and four had a VA of 20/80 or better at their last examination. Foveal fixation on the graft was present in five of the six eyes up to the last examination., Conclusion: These preliminary data show that an RPE-choroid translocation may be a treatment option for patients with an RPE tear.

Purpose: To study and reveal genetic variation in the elastin gene (ELN) that may be associated with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and/or polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV). Eyes with neovascular AMD and PCV exhibit substantially different structural alterations of the elastic layer in the Bruch's membrane. The hypothesis for the present study was that ELN polymorphisms may play a role in the development of neovascular AMD and PCV and that genetic differences in ELN between these two phenotypes may be a reason for the histopathologic differences. To test these hypotheses, ELN was screened for genetic variation in a Japanese case-control dataset., Methods: Two hundred eighty-five subjects were enrolled: 78 with neovascular AMD, 103 with PCV, and 104 control. We genotyped five tagged single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in ELN, and allele, genotype, and haplotype frequency distributions among neovascular AMD, PCV, and control subjects were compared by chi(2) tests., Results: A common ELN variant was significantly associated with susceptibility to PCV. The age- and sex-adjusted odds ratio was 7.56 for individuals homozygous for the risk allele compared with those carrying no more than one copy of the risk allele. Significantly different distributions were found in allele and haplotype frequencies between neovascular AMD and PCV in this region, but no particular ELN SNPs or haplotypes were significantly associated with neovascular AMD., Conclusions: The findings implicate ELN as a susceptibility gene for PCV, and suggest that a different pathogenic process may be involved in the phenotypic expression of neovascular AMD and PCV.

Purpose: To assess excision of choroidal new vessels (CNV) combined with autologous transplantation of the equatorial retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) as a means of restoring vision for patients with acute neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD)., Design: Prospective interventional cohort study., Participants: Twelve patients were recruited into an ethics committee approved trial with informed consent between 2004 and 2005. All had <6 months of acute visual loss owing to subfoveal neovascular AMD and were ineligible for photodynamic therapy., Methods: Patients underwent submacular removal of CNV through a single retinotomy. A full-thickness patch graft of RPE, Bruch's membrane, and choroid was harvested from the superior equatorial retina and transplanted into the subfoveal space. The graft was flattened under heavy liquid, before silicone oil exchange. Removal of silicone oil and cataract surgery were performed 3 months later. All patients underwent cataract grading, full refraction, optical coherence tomography, fundus autofluorescence, and fluorescein and indocyanine angiography preoperatively and again 6 months postoperatively. Retinal pigment epithelium samples from 3 patients were tested for ex vivo gene transfer using a recombinant lentiviral vector., Main Outcome Measures: Six months after surgery, successful transplantation was determined by the presence of a pigmented subfoveal graft showing RPE autofluorescence and choroidal reperfusion. Visual outcome was assessed by subjective refraction and microperimetry of the retina overlying the graft., Results: Successful viable grafts were seen in 11 patients. Three patients had good visual function on the grafts, with mean logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) improving from 0.88 to 0.79 and maintained beyond 1 year. Operative complications occurred in 8 patients, including retinal detachment in 5 patients and hemorrhage affecting the graft in 4 patients. The mean visual acuity over the whole cohort fell from logMAR 0.82 to 1.16. The excised RPE choroid could also be genetically modified outside the eye with a viral vector applied within the time frame of the operation., Conclusions: Autologous RPE transplantation can in principle restore vision in neovascular AMD, but surgical complications remain high. The possibility for ex vivo gene transfer to the free graft of RPE may widen the scope of this procedure to include gene therapy or adjunctive molecular treatments for AMD.

Purpose: To determine the percentage of Japanese patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) who are eligible for photodynamic therapy (PDT) with verteporfin who have either polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) or choroidal neovascularization (CNV) with retinochoroidal anastomosis (RCA)., Methods: The medical charts of 82 consecutive patients (83 eyes) with subfoveal CNV due to AMD were reviewed. Initially, we determined which of these eyes were eligible for PDT by using the criteria reported by two large randomized control studies, that is, the Treatment of Age-related Macular Degeneration with Photodynamic Therapy (TAP) study and the Verteporfin in Photodynamic Therapy (VIP) study. Among the PDT-eligible patients, the percentage of eyes with PCV or CNV with RCA was determined by indocyanine green angiography (ICGA)., Results: In total, 36 eyes (43%) of the 83 eyes were PDT-eligible; 17 (20%) based on the TAP study criteria, and 19 (23%) based on the VIP study criteria. Among these PDT-eligible eyes, ICGA revealed that 12 (33%) had PCV and 2 (6%) had CNV with RCA., Conclusions: With ICGA, PCV or CNV with RCA were recognized in a substantial proportion of cases eligible for PDT based on the two clinical studies. Considering that the treatment efficacy of PDT for PCV or RCA has not been established, detection of PCV or RCA prior to PDT with ICGA is highly recommended., (Copyright (c) Japanese Ophthalmological Society 2006.)

Purpose: To describe a case of a 46-year-old woman with an asymptomatic history of unilateral multiple serous detachments of the retinal pigment epithelium (PED) in the right eye, treated with photodynamic therapy (PDT) with verteporfin for recent onset of subfoveal choroidal neovascularization (CNV) with chorioretinal anastomoses (CRA)., Methods: Case report., Results: Fluorescein and indocyanine green (ICG) angiography, performed with a Heidelberg scanning laser ophthalmoscope (SLO), demonstrated a predominantly classic foveal choroidal neovascular membrane associated with a PED and 1 one retinal and 2 two venous chorioretinal anastomoses. The left fundus was normal. PDT therapy was performed according to standard techniques. Three PDT treatments were performed at an interval of 3 months. Three months after the second PDT, visual acuity dropped to 20/200, with an enlargement of the neovascular network. One month after the third treatment, visual acuity deteriorated further and the CRA appeared enlarged, associated with a dense fibrotic reaction in the centere of the lesion., Conclusions: This clinical observation demonstrates that idiopathic serous detachments of the retinal pigment epithelium may represent predisposing changes to CNV development, and in the case CNV is associated with CRA, PDT may be unsuccessful.

Objective: To determine the efficacy of photodynamic therapy (PDT) with verteporfin as a treatment for symptomatic polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV)., Design: Prospective consecutive, 2-centered, noncomparative interventional case series., Participants: Twenty-one Asian patients with 22 eyes presenting with serosanguinous maculopathy due to PCV and an initial best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of 20/40 or worse were recruited prospectively. All patients had angiographic leakage seen on fluorescein angiograms (FAs) and features of PCV seen with indocyanine green (ICG) angiography., Methods: Intravenous infusion of verteporfin at a dose of 6 mg/m(2) of body surface area over 10 minutes was administered. Five minutes after the completion of infusion, a 689-nm laser was applied for 83 seconds, with a light dose of 50 J/cm(2). The laser spot size was chosen to cover the polyps and the surrounding abnormally dilated choroidal vessels shown on ICG angiography plus an extra 1000-microm margin. Photodynamic therapy retreatment was performed if leakage from the polyps was found on both repeat FAs and ICG angiography at regular 3-month follow-up intervals., Main Outcome Measures: The proportion of eyes with stable or improved vision at a 1-year follow-up. Secondary outcome measures included change in mean BCVA and the changes in clinical and angiographic features in FAs and ICG angiography. The total number of PDT sessions and any complications were also recorded., Results: Stable or improved vision was achieved in 21 (95%) of the 22 eyes at the 1-year follow-up. Ten (45%) eyes had a moderate gain in vision (improved by > or =3 lines), whereas 1 (5%) eye suffered a moderate visual loss (decrease by > or =3 lines). The mean BCVA improved from a logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution(logMAR) of 0.73 to 0.60, an equivalent of 1.3 lines of improvement. The change in logMAR BCVA at 12 months was statistically significant (Wilcoxon signed-ranks test, P = 0.009). Complete absence of leakage in FAs and total regression of the polyps in ICG angiography were observed in 20 (91%) and 21 (95%) eyes, respectively. Severe loss of vision due to massive subretinal hemorrhage occurred in 1 eye; otherwise, there were no other serious treatment-related adverse events., Conclusions: The 1-year results of PDT in treating PCV of the macular type with serosanguinous presentations are encouraging. Further studies with longer follow-up and randomized controlled trials are warranted to assess the long-term safety and efficacy of PDT relative to observation or other treatment modalities.

Pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) has been shown to be an inhibitor of angiogenesis as well as a multipotent neurotrophic factor in the mammalian eye. Changes in PEDF levels have been correlated with development of retinal neovascularization in oxygen-induced retinopathy. The purpose of this study was to determine the localization and relative level of PEDF in human retinas and choroids using immunohistochemistry and evaluate the changes in PEDF and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) localization and their relation to the progression of proliferative sickle cell retinopathy. Cryopreserved tissues from eyes of normal subjects and subjects with non-proliferative or proliferative sickle cell retinopathy were used with streptavidin peroxidase immunohistochemistry. A rabbit polyclonal antibody was made against recombinant human PEDF. Binding of the antibody was blocked by preincubation of the antibody with excess human recombinant PEDF. Relative levels of immunoreactivity were scored with a seven-point grading system and by microdensitometric analysis.The most prominent sites of PEDF localization in the normal eye were the vitreous condensed at the internal limiting membrane and RPE-Bruch's membrane-choriocapillaris complex. PEDF was also prominent in choroidal stroma. There was limited immunoreactivity in some cells of the neural retinas, in blood vessels and in the interphotoreceptor matrix (IPM). There was no difference in ratio (1.47 vs. 1.44) of PEDF/VEGF or the relative levels of either growth factor in the retinal vasculatures of the control subjects and perfused area of non-proliferative sickle cell retinas. The ratio was increased in the non-perfused area of the non-proliferative sickle cell retinas (2.24). In eyes with proliferative sickle cell retinopathy, elevated PEDF and VEGF immunostaining was present in viable vessels of sea fan neovascular formations as well as feeder vessels of sea fans. The PEDF/VEGF ratio in sea fans was 1.0. Immunoreactivity for PEDF was prominent in retinal vessels in non-perfused regions and in atrophic sea fans, while VEGF immunoreactivity was weak or absent in these structures. In conclusion, PEDF and VEGF were both significantly elevated in viable sea fan formations in sickle cell disease (p<0.05) but only PEDF was present in non-viable sea fans. The highest levels of PEDF in all eyes were associated with extracellular matrices (vitreous, choroidal stroma, IPM, and walls of blood vessels). PEDF might play an important role in inhibiting angiogenesis and inducing the regression of sea fans. Progression of angiogenesis may be dependent on the ratio of PEDF/VEGF.

The aim of this paper is to describe various diode laser modifications and their use in treating choroidal neovascularisation in age-related macular degeneration. Diode lasers are used to treat selected choroidal neovascular membranes. Alterations in microprocessor connectivity, and parameters such as maximum spot size, light delivery time and coupled Joule meter, were made so that ophthalmic surgeons could specify treatment possibilities. A trimodal (photocoagulation, transpupillary thermotherapy and photodynamic therapy) application laser device coupled to a single light source has been developed. The new diode laser modifications were technically successful. Microprocessor connectivity was obtained, larger spot sizes were achieved, light delivery time could be extended and energy parameters were available at the display.

Purpose: To report the histopathologic features of surgically removed submacular tissue from an elderly patient with a pattern of polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy on indocyanine green angiography., Methods: Clinical examination including fluorescein and indocyanine green angiography and light microscopy of surgical specimen., Results: A thick yellow proteinaceous subretinal fluid was seen in the right macula of an 81-year-old white man. Fluorescein angiography indicated progressive leakage from undetermined source apart from a few focal hyperfluorescent points. Indocyanine green angiography showed several polyps as well as dilated choroidal vessels in the macula and along the superior temporal arcade. A large plaque was visualized in the late phase. Microscopically, the specimen consisted of a thick fibrovascular membrane located on the choroidal side of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). The RPE layer was discontinuous whereas on its choroidal side an almost intact layer of diffuse drusen was observed. A group of dilated thin-walled vessels were found that appeared to be saccular on serial sections. Some of these were located almost immediately under the diffuse drusen., Conclusion: Histologic examination of submacular tissue removed from an eye with polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy showed several aneurysmal dilatations located directly under diffuse drusen within a sub-RPE, intra-Bruch's fibrovascular membrane.

Purpose: To report indocyanine green angiographic findings in a case of punctate inner choroidopathy., Methods: Fundoscopy, fluorescein angiography and indocyanine green angiography were carried out on a 23-year-old woman who presented with features typical of punctate inner choroidopathy., Results: Fundoscopy showed multiple small yellow lesions in the retinal pigment epithelium and inner choroid in both eyes and a subfoveal choroidal neovascular membrane in the left eye. The lesions showed early hyperfluorescence with mild leakage in the late phases of the fluorescein angiogram. On indocyanine green angiography, the lesions demonstrated obvious hypofluorescence in the early, mid and late phases., Conclusions: The fluorescein and indocyanine green angiographic findings indicate that punctate inner choroidopathy affects the choriocapillaris as well as the retinal pigment epithelium and photoreceptors. However, it is still not known whether the primary pathology is in the retinal pigment epithelium, the photoreceptors or the choriocapillaris.

Choroidal neovascular membrane in the macular area is one of the leading causes of severe visual loss. Usually a manifestation in elderly population, it is often associated with age-related macular degeneration. The current mainstay of management is early diagnosis, usually by fundus examination, aided by angiography and photocoagulation in selected cases. Various other modalities of treatment including surgery are being considered as alternate options, but with limited success. The purpose of this review is to briefly outline the current concepts and the management strategy from a clinician's viewpoint.