Resolution of bilateral corneal neovascularization and lipid keratopathy after photodynamic therapy with verteporfin

The aim of this study was to describe the result of photodynamic therapy with verteporfin (Visudyne(®), Novartis Ophthalmics AG, Hettingen, Switzerland) on bilateral corneal neovascularization (CN) and lipid keratopathy.

A 36-year-old man with bilateral CN and visually significant lipid keratopathy presented to the King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital with decreased visual acuity in both eyes; bilateral refractive surgery had been done several years before. He was wearing hard contact lenses and had a history of repeated keratitis in both eyes. Eyes were treated with nonthermal laser light at 689 nm delivered 15 minutes after an intravenous infusion of verteporfin, 6 mg/m(2) of body surface area, which was repeated 2 months after his first session. He was followed up regularly for 4 years with ophthalmic examinations and photographic documentation.

Successful occlusion of the CN was observed by the third month, and a dramatic resorption of lipid keratopathy was noticed by the end of the first year in both eyes. Best-corrected visual acuities improved from 20/80 in the right eye and 20/100 in the left eye to 20/30 with each eye. During the 4-year follow-up period, neither recurrence nor complications of the treatment was observed.

Laser therapy with verteporfin can be added to the armamentarium of treatments for CN as a safe and effective option.