FLUCTUATING EXUDATION IN NON-NEOVASCULAR GEOGRAPHIC ATROPHY

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Retinal Diseases
• Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)

Background:

• Non-neovascular geographic atrophy (GA) is a form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
• Intraretinal fluid (IRF) is typically associated with neovascular AMD.
• Exudation in non-neovascular GA is an unusual clinical finding.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a case series of patients with non-neovascular GA presenting with exudation.
• To investigate the characteristics and natural course of this exudative phenomenon.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective case series of 2 patients (3 eyes) with GA and IRF but no macular neovascularization (MNV).
• Diagnosis confirmed using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and various angiographies.
• Exclusion of MNV was a key diagnostic criterion.

Main Results:

• Patients presented with IRF in inner and outer retinal layers and increased macular thickness.
• Angiography confirmed the absence of abnormal neovascular networks.
• Intraretinal fluid (IRF) showed spontaneous near-complete resolution within one month, with stable visual acuity.

Conclusions:

• This study presents the first report of fluctuating exudation in non-neovascular GA.
• This finding suggests a potential novel clinical phenotype in AMD.
• Further research is needed to characterize this condition and its implications.