VISUAL-ACUITY AND SCAR SIZE IN EYES WITH AGE-RELATED SUBFOVEAL CHOROIDAL NEOVASCULAR LESIONS, 30 MONTHS AFTER RADIATION-THERAPY

Purpose: In a study to determin the effectiveness of ionizing radiatio n on the deterioration of visual acuity (VA) due to choroidal neovascu larisation (CNV) the affected eyes of 10 patients were treated with a total dose of 24 Gy (6 Gy fractions). A special lens sparing technique was used to avoid cataract development. During 30 months of follow-up the visual acuity (VA) and scar size (SS) of the treated eyes and fel low eyes of all 10 patients were evaluated. Results: After 30 months o f follow-up 5 eyes showed a stable VA and fluorescein angiogram (FA) a ppearance. Concerning 4 out of 5 eyes with progressive disease, the 4 eyes treated with radiation therapy had better VA and smaller SS as co mpared with the untreated fellow eyes with exudative AMD. Conclusions: The results suggest that 24 Gy either stabilizes or delays the delete rious effects of CNV on the visual acuity. Until now no late side effe cts have been observed.