Abstract
Purpose. To report the results of a retrospective analysis of patients undergoing surgical removal of choroidal neovascular membranes (CNVM) associated with angioid streaks. Methods. Nine eyes of nine patients with active CNVM all associated with angioid streaks, underwent pars plana vitrectomy, hyaloid membrane stripping, surgical removal of CNVM and air fluid exchange. Eight of the CNVM were subfoveal and one juxtafoveal. Results. Preoperative visual acuity was better than 20/200 in only 1 of 9 eyes (20/125). Final visual acuity was unchanged (+/- 2 lines) in 7 of 9 eyes (78%), decreased by 3 lines in 1 eye (11%), and improved by 3 lines in 1 eye (11%). The eye with a juxtafoveal CNVM achieved a 20/70 final visual acuity. Mean interval to best corrected visual acuity was 8.4 months. Mean period of follow-up was 25.6 months. CNVM recurred in 5 eyes. The mean interval to recurrence was 6.4 months. Conclusion. Although visual acuity was stabilized or improved in 89% of eyes, the final visual outcomes were disappointing. This study emphasizes the generally poor prognosis for visual acuity in eyes with angioid streaks, CNVM and preoperative central vision loss. It however suggests a tendency towards stabilization of vision in this subset of CNVM patients. It remains unclear whether surgical treatment of CNVM is superior to laser therapy.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | S658 |
| Journal | Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science |
| Volume | 38 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| State | Published - 1997 |
| Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Ophthalmology
- Sensory Systems
- Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience