Successful treatment of stellate multiform amelanotic choroidopathy with photodynamic therapy: A case report

Purpose: To report a case of stellate multiform amelanotic choroidopathy (SMACH) with focal hyperfluorescence on indocyanine green angiography (ICGA), successfully treated with photodynamic therapy (PDT). Observations: An 18-year-old male presented with subretinal fluid (SRF) overlying an irregular lesion in the inner choroid. A diagnosis of probable idiopathic macular neovascularization was made; treatment with intravitreal injections (IVIs) of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) agents showed no effect. The diagnosis was later revised to SMACH due to distinctive features on optical coherence tomography (OCT) and ICGA. Typically, no focal leakage is observed on ICGA in SMACH, and no successful treatment has been previously described. However, our case presented with focal leakage on ICGA, and treatment with full-dose PDT led to complete resolution of SRF. Conclusions and importance: Diagnosing and treating SMACH can be challenging. No effective treatment has been reported to date. We describe a case with focal leakage on ICGA successfully treated with full-dose PDT. We suggest full-dose PDT as the first-line treatment of SMACH with associated focal leakage on ICGA

Contributing ocular comorbidity to end-of-life visual acuity in medically treated glaucoma patients, ocular hypertension and glaucoma suspect patients

Aim: To assess the visual acuity at the end of life in glaucoma suspect patients, ocular hypertension, and patients treated for glaucoma and to find factors contributing to a reduced visual acuity in this cohort of deceased patients. Methods: In a cohort of 3883 medically treated glaucoma patients, glaucoma suspect, or patients with ocular hypertension assembled in 2001–2004, 1639 were deceased. Patient data were collected from electronic and paper patient files. The files of 1378 patients were studied and the last measured visual acuity and ocular comorbidities influencing the visual acuity were extracted. Results: Our results show that only 37.2% of patients had no visual impairment in either eye, 30.5% was visually impaired or blind in both eyes and 4.1% was blind in both eyes, all based on VA. The most common contributing factors for severe visual impairment or blindness (prevalence ≥ 1%) were: glaucoma, retinal vein occlusion, dry and exudative age-related macular degeneration, past retinal detachment, amblyopia, diabetic retinopathy, anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, trauma, decompensated cornea, past keratitis, enucleation, corneal transplantation, and macular hole. Conclusions: Despite the current advanced treatment modalities for glaucoma, 30.5% of patients had a VA < 0.5 in both eyes and 4.1% was blind in both eyes. However, this disability cannot be confidently attributed only to glaucoma. Besides glaucoma, most common contributing factors were among others retinal and macular diseases. Patient management in glaucoma should be based on more than lowering the intraocular pressure to prevent blindness at the end of life