Laser treatment in eyes with drusen.
During the past several decades, many individuals have noted that drusen may resolve after macular laser photocoagulation. The lack of effective therapies against choroidal neovascularization (CNV) due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD) has prompted many invesigators to explore strategies designed to prevent CNV in eyes with high-risk drusen. Currently, several pilot studies in the United States, Spain, Sweden, Australia, and the United Kingdom are in progress; the Choroidal Neovascularization Prevention Trial (CNVPT) is the largest pilot study to date and is detailed herein. A definitive study, the Complications of Age-Related Macular Degeneration Prevention Trial, aims to evaluate the effects of laser treatment in patients with bilateral drusen and will commence this year.
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Wills Eye Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. acho@att.net
D020256:Choroidal Neovascularization / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D006801:Humans; D017075:Laser Coagulation; D015593:Retinal Drusen / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*