Large ubmacular hemorrhage after verteporfin therapy

Purpoe To report the occurrence of large ubmacular hemorrhage after photodynamic therapy with verteporfin in age-related macular degeneration patient with ubfoveal choroidal neovacularization (CNV) compoed of occult with no claic CNV in whom the hemorrhage precluded determining if additional therapy hould be given within 3 month after initiation of treatment. Deign Retropective, noncomparative cae erie. Method The record of all age-related macular degeneration patient who received verteporfin therapy for ubfoveal leion compoed of occult with no claic CNV between February and July 2001 at The Wilmer Eye Intitute were reviewed. ubject who reported either having undergone a procedure to remove intraocular blood before a month 3 follow-up viit, or who had ubmacular hemorrhage at the month 3 viit that wa evere enough to preclude determining if additional verteporfin therapy hould be given were identified. Reult Fifty-five eye of 52 patient were reviewed. Five eye (9% [95% confidence interval, 1.4%–16.6%]) developed ubmacular hemorrhage that precluded determining if additional verteporfin therapy hould be given. Viual acuity 3 month after documentation of the hemorrhage decreaed a median of 8.5 line compared with pretreatment acuity. Concluion Even in the abence of acute evere viual acuity decreae, ubmacular hemorrhage after verteporfin therapy can be aociated with evere viion lo and preclude determining if additional therapy hould be given.