Surgery for choroidal subfoveal neovascularization in patients with severemyopia. Retrospective analysis of 17 patients

Treatment of choroidal neovascularization in pathological myopia is still c ontroversial. Methods: A retrospective analysis of 17 patients with severe myopia (> -6) and subfoveal choroidal neovascularization who underwent surgical removal o f choroidal neovascularization, was performed. The patient population consi sted of 2 groups: 9 patients younger than, 50 years. and 8 patients older t han 50 years. All the patients underwent vitrectomy with surgical removal, of subfoveal choroidal neovascularization. Results:, We reviewed the postoperative clinical and angiographic findings. In group I, visual acuity improved in 4 eyes (44%), remained unchanged in 4 eyes (44%) and decreased in one eye. In group II, none of the patients ha d visual improvement, visual acuity remained unchanged in 6 eyes (71%), and decreased in 2 eyes. Conclusion: The visual outcomes in most patients in this series were better than their natural history. Surgical removal of subfoveal choroidal neovas cularization associated with severe myopia may provide visual benefit in yo ung patients. A prospective, randomized clinical trial is necessary to dete rmine the place of this surgical procedure.