title: Changes in visual function and thickness of macula after photodynamic therapy for age-related macular degeneration.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the correlation between the changes in the central retinal sensitivity and the changes in the foveal thickness (FT) after photodynamic therapy (PDT) for age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Nineteen eyes of 19 patients with choroidal neovasularizations (CNVs) secondary to AMD were studied. The pretreatment values of the central retinal sensitivity determined by Micro Perimeter 1 (MP1; Nidek Technologies), best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), and optical coherence tomography (OCT)-determined FT were compared to the postoperative values at three and six months after PDT.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At six months, the retinal sensitivity within the central 10 degrees was significantly improved (P = 0.02) and the FT was significantly thinner (P = 0.016). The BCVA, however, did not change significantly (P = 0.80). The changes in the retinal sensitivities were significantly correlated with the changes in the decrease in the FT (r = - 0.59, P = 0.012 within the central 10 degrees ) at six months after PDT.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Significant improvements in retinal sensitivities within the central 10 degrees and a decrease in FT were observed even though the BCVA was not significantly improved. The measurement of retinal sensitivity by MP1 may be a better method to assess central visual function than the conventional visual acuity after PDT.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Chiba University Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Kyoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.forename: Mariko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kubota-Taniai
authors.forename: Masayasu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kitahashi
authors.forename: Takayuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Baba
authors.forename: Yoshinori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mitamura
authors.forename: Shuichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamamoto