Purpose: To compare early optical coherence tomography (OCT) changes in neuroretinal foveal thickness (NFT) after first versus repeated photodynamic treatment (PDT) in eyes with choroidal neovascularization (CNV) due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Methods: This is a prospective comparative case series study. Consecutive AMD patients, treated with PDT due to subfoveal CNV, were enrolled. The eyes were divided into two groups: group A included eyes that had received the first initial treatment, and group B included eyes that had received repeated treatment. All eyes underwent serial examinations with OCT: prior to PDT, 1 h, and 3 months after the PDT. The primary outcome measure was early OCT change in NFT after PDT.
Results: Thirty-three eyes of 33 patients were included in this study; 16 in group A and 17 in group B. Optical coherence tomography showed a significant increase in NFT 1 h after PDT, as compared to pre-treatment status, in group A eyes (P = 0.008) but not in group B eyes (P = 0.731). Subretinal fluid was increased in both groups (93.8% and 88.2%, respectively), whereas intraretinal fluid was remarkably more increased in group A eyes (88%) than in group B eyes (59%).
Conclusion: Early change in NFT, demonstrated on OCT, indicates that PDT causes different retinal response in primary versus repeated treatment of PDT for CNV due to AMD.