[PUVA treatment and the problem of ocular damage (author's transl)]

Recently, psoriasis has been shown to respond favorably to PUVA treatment, i.e., local or systemic therapy with a photosensitizer (e.g., 8-methoxypsoralen) and subsequent long UV irradiation. The possibility of this treatment damaging the eye is discussed in the light of various experimental results. As toxic changes only occur when photosensitizer and UVA act jointly, the eyes of PUVA-treated patients must be shielded from any ultraviolet exposure by UV-absorbing protective glasses with side shields. Such glasses should have no significant absorption in the visible range. The new Spectra Shield process enables lenses to be coated in such a way that virtually no UV or IR radiation is transmitted.