Long-term outcomes in half-dose verteporfin photodynamic therapy for chronic central serous retinopathy

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the short- and long-term outcomes of half-dose verteporfin with photodynamic therapy (PDT) in the treatment of chronic central serous retinopathy (CSR). DESIGN: Retrospective case series. PARTICIPANTS: 45 eyes in 39 patients with chronic CSR were included. Diagnosis of chronic CSR was confirmed by fluorescein angiography and persistence of subretinal fluid by optical coherence tomography for a minimum of 3 months duration. METHODS: Each patient underwent treatment with half-dose verteporfin with full-fluence PDT; initial follow-up was defined as a 6–8 week visit following the treatment, and final follow-up ranged from 5 to 70 months. RESULTS: The average follow-up period for treatment was 19.3 months. Best-corrected visual acuity increased from logMAR means of 0.52 to 0.42 (p<0.05). Central retinal thickness and choroidal thickness also significantly decreased at last follow-up (p<0.05). Eight of 45 eyes (18%) demonstrated a recurrence of CSR following treatment within the follow-up period. At the final follow-up, 41 out of the 45 eyes (91%) had complete resolution of subretinal fluid accumulation. CONCLUSION: Half-dose PDT is an effective treatment option for chronic CSR in a Canadian population, and it is both safe and durable. The positive treatment effect is realized rapidly, with the initial 6-week result highly correlated with the final follow-up result.