Laser photocoagulation can reduce the risk of severe visual loss in patients with well-defined choroidal neovascular membranes (NVMs) that do not involve the center of the fovea. However, new or recurrent neovascularization can limit the benefits of treatment, as reported by the Macular Photocoagulation Study Group.1 In patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the average three-year posttreatment visual acuity was 20/50 without recurrence and 20/250 with recurrence. In patients with ocular histoplasmosis (OHS), the three-year posttreatment visual acuity was 20/32 without recurrence and 20/64 with recurrence.
See also pp 1528 and 1533.
Recent reports indicate two-year posttreatment recurrence rates of 50% to 60% in patients with AMD and 20% to 30% in patients with OHS. Because the adverse effect on visual acuity is substantial, efforts have been made to reduce the frequency of recurrence and to recognize recurrence early, when re-treatment may be possible. To detect recurrences at a