Incidence of neovascularization in the fellow eye of patients with unilateral retinal angiomatous proliferation.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study is to describe the incidence and characteristics of neovascularization in the fellow eye of patients with retinal angiomatous proliferation (RAP).


METHODS
This is a retrospective study conducted on all patients with a diagnosis of unilateral RAP commencing treatment in a single centre between November 2002 and January 2010. Clinical biomicroscopic examination, fluorescein angiography, and if required, indocyanine green angiography, and optical coherence tomography were used to evaluate all patients.


RESULTS
In all, 37 patients had a follow-up of ≥1 year, 28 ≥2 years, and 11 ≥3. Patients who developed RAP in the fellow eye were: 2 of 37 (5.4%) within 1 year of follow-up, 4 of 28 (14.2%) within 2 years, and 4 of 11 (36.3%) within 3 years.


CONCLUSIONS
In our case series, the risk of neovascularization in the fellow eye of patients with unilateral RAP increased with time. Approximately one-third of patients with a 3-year follow-up developed a bilateral disease. Our findings warrant further large-scale investigation.
St Paul's Eye Unit, Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Liverpool, UK. claudio.campa@yahoo.com
C
C
Campa
S P
SP
Harding
I A
IA
Pearce
N A V
NA
Beare
M C
MC
Briggs
H
H
Heimann
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005451:Fluorescein Angiography; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008268:Macular Degeneration / Q000150:complications*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015861:Retinal Neovascularization / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012306:Risk; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence