SURGICAL REMOVAL OF SUBFOVEAL CHOROIDAL NEOVASCULARIZATION IN PRESUMED OCULAR HISTOPLASMOSIS - STABILITY OF EARLY VISUAL RESULTS

Purpose: The authors assess the stability of visual acuity outcomes af ter the surgical removal of subfoveal choroidal neovascularization in a large series of patients with presumed ocular histoplasmosis syndrom e (POHS). Methods: A retrospective study of 117 consecutive patients u ndergoing vitrectomy between February 1990 and December 1994 was perfo rmed. All patients underwent the surgical removal of subfoveal choroid al neovascularization due to POHS and had at least 3 months of follow- up. Postoperative Snellen visual acuity was the primary study endpoint . Results: With a median follow-up of 13 months (range, 3-46 months), 35% of patients had postoperative visual acuity of 20/40 or better, an d 40% had improvement of three or more Snellen lines after surgery. In a subset of 54 eyes followed for at least 1 year, 91% showed stable o r improved vision between the 3- and 12-month time points, and 85% sho wed stable or improved vision between 3 months and final visit. Conclu sion: Follow-up of a large number of patients appears to confirm initi ally encouraging results and to suggest stability of beneficial effect after the surgical removal of subfoveal choroidal neovascularization in POHS.