[Photodynamic therapy for age related macular degeneration with and without antioxidants].
BACKGROUND
Antioxidants may affect the lipid components of membrane receptors. The purpose of this study was to determine whether treatment with antioxidants after photodynamic therapy for age-related macular degeneration (AMD) improves visual acuity recovery time after a flicker test


METHODS
The study was conducted in a university-affiliated ophthalmology clinic in Bologna, Italy, from April 2000 to April 2001. Thirty-five patients (21 men and 14 women aged 55 to 86 years [mean 72 (standard deviation [SD] 8.4) years]) with bilateral AMD and neovascular membranes were enrolled in the study. Patients were randomly assigned to either receive (20 patients) or not receive (15 patients) vitamin E (200 mg/d given orally) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (1,000 mg/d given orally) after photodynamic therapy. The outcome measures were visual acuity (logMAR) after 20, 40 and 60 days, and retinal metabolic function, as evidenced by visual acuity recovery after the Magder flicker test.


RESULTS
There was no significant difference in visual acuity between the two groups at 20, 40 or 60 days. At 20 days, the visual acuity recovery time was significantly shorter in the group that received antioxidants than in the group that received photodynamic therapy only (phase II .94 [SD 0.39] minutes vs. 2.56 [SD 0.57] minutes, phase II 2.13 [SD 0.68] minutes vs. 2.83 [SD 0.60] minutes, and phase III 2.19 [SD 0.70] minutes vs. 2.92 [SD 0.65] minutes) (p < 0.001). There was no significant difference between the two groups at 40 or 60 days.


CONCLUSIONS
Treatment with antioxidants after photodynamic therapy for AMD improves retinal metabolic function in the short term but not in the medium term.
Scorolli
Lucia
L
Du Département d'optique physiopathologique de la Clinique d'ophtalmologie, hôpital universitaire Sant'Orsola, Bologne, Italie. luciascorolli@yahoo.it
Scalinci
Sergio Z
SZ
Limoli
Paolo G
PG
Morara
Mariachiara
M
Vismara
Sabrina
S
Scorolli
Luigi
L
Corazza
Daniele
D
Meduri
Renato
R
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010778:Photochemotherapy; D017319:Photosensitizing Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012160:Retina / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017962:alpha-Linolenic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use
D000975:Antioxidants; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D017319:Photosensitizing Agents; D017962:alpha-Linolenic Acid; D014810:Vitamin E; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids