ARGON GREEN VS KRYPTON RED LASER PHOTOCOAGULATION FOR EXTRAFOVEAL CHOROIDAL NEOVASCULARIZATION - ONE-YEAR RESULTS IN OCULAR HISTOPLASMOSIS

Objective: To determine whether the krypton red laser is superior to t he argon green laser or vice versa for treatment of choroidal neovascu larization located between 200 and 2500 mu m from the center of the fo veal avascular zone in patients with ocular histoplasmosis syndrome. D esign: Multicenter. randomized, controlled clinical trial. Setting: Op hthalmologic clinics throughout Canada. Participants: Patients who pro vided informed consent, were aged 18 years or older, and had extrafove al membranes associated with ocular histoplasmosis syndrome. Results: One hundred forty-one patients were randomized, 134 (95%) of whom were determined eligible. Of the eligible patients, 128 (96%) had sufficie nt follow-up for the primary outcome comparison of visual acuity at 1 year. In the argon green laser group, there was a mean increase of 3 l etters at 1 year, while in the krypton red laser group there was a mea n decrease of 2.5 letters in visual acuity. Conclusion: The krypton re d laser is no better than the argon green laser for the treatment of w ell-defined extrafoveal choroidal neovascularization secondary to ocul ar histoplasmosis syndrome.