Two Cases of Chronic Central Serous Chorioretinopathy Successfully Treated with Systemic Interferon Alpha

Chronic central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) is a sight threatening disease that can lead to legal blindness. Verteporfin photodynamic therapy is the main treatment for chronic CSCR, however, there has been a critical worldwide shortage of verteporfin. Other medical treatments have been attempted with variable efficacy. Interferons have shown efficacy in treating uveitis and associated macular edema. We report 2 cases of treatment refractory chronic CSCR successfully treated with subcutaneous injection of interferon alpha with significant anatomical and functional improvement. To our knowledge, this is the first report observing the therapeutic potential of systemic interferon alpha in the treatment of chronic CSCR. A large randomized controlled clinical trial would help to better evaluate the safety and efficacy of systemic PEG-IFNα2a in treating chronic CSCR, and further define the optimal dose, treatment interval and duration.