Laser treatment for choroidal neovascularization outside randomized clinical trials

This study was undertaken to determine whether the treatment benefit reported in randomized trials for patients with extrafoveal choroidal neovascular membranes (NVMs) secondary to age-related macular degeneration (AMD) or the ocular histoplasmosis syndrome (OHS) can be duplicated in other clinical settings. The visual results and recurrence rates in treated extrafoveal NVMs of 70 patients with AMD and 21 patients with OHS were similar to those reported by the Macular Photocoagulation Study Group, in which all treated patients received argon blue-green laser photocoagulation after the administration of retrobulbar anesthesia. In this study, 78% (71/90) of the patients were treated with krypton laser and only 35% (32/90) had retrobulbar anesthesia. These results suggest, but do not prove, that the wavelength of the laser used or the administration of retrobulbar anesthesia may not be critical variables in determining the success of treatment in patients with extra-foveal NVMs.