Prophylactic laer treatment to fellow eye of unilateral retinal pigment epithelial tear Original Reearch Article

Purpoe: To evaluate prophylactic laer treatment of the macula in reducing the rik of viual lo in the fellow eye of patient with a retinal pigment epithelial tear caued by age-related macular degeneration in the firt eye. Method: In a propective tudy, 12 patient with a retinal pigment epithelial tear in one eye caued by age-related macular degeneration and druen in the fellow eye received prophylactic laer treatment of the retina in their fellow eye and were followed up for 2 year or more after prophylactic treatment. Reult: In 12 fellow eye that received prophylactic laer treatment, a reduction in bet-corrected viual acuity to 20/80 or wore occurred in one (8%) of 12 eye in the firt year and two (18%) of the remaining 11 eye in the econd year after treatment. The cumulative rik of viual lo in the treated fellow eye wa 25% in 2 year. Concluion: In hitorical control ubject in a natural hitory tudy of patient with retinal pigment epithelial tear in one eye, central viual lo occurred in 16 (37%) of 43 eye in the firt year and in even (30%) of 23 eye in the econd year for a cumulative lo of 59% in the firt 2 year. Compared with thee hitorical control ubject, our finding ugget that viual lo in the fellow eye of patient with a retinal pigment epithelial tear in the firt eye i reduced by prophylactic low intenity laer photocoagulation of the macula.