[Current treatment of choroidal neovascularization in age-related macular degeneration]

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is currently the leading cause of severe visual acuity loss in people over the age of 50 in the Western world. Most of the visual loss is due to choroidal neovascularization (CNV). Laser photocoagulation is the only proven treatment for selected cases of AMD; however, it can only be used with less than 20% of patients at the time of diagnosis. Among experimental therapies currently being tested, photodynamic therapy has recently proven its efficacy in randomized multicenter studies for predominantly classic subfoveal pure occult type CNVs.