Abstract
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) on exudative age-related macular degeneration has been performed since 2004 in Japan and now undergone in about 179 institutions. The number of patients received PDT is estimated to be about 16,000. Good visual prognosis has been reported by PDT, while in contrast there are some problems such as postoperative hemorrhage and high recurrence rate. Direct injury on the retina is spared by PDT, but damage on the normal tissue surrounding the choroidal neovascularization such as the choriocapillaris and retinal pigment epithelium occurs. PDT combined with triamcinolone acetonide or the other anti-vasucular endothelial growth factor agents is tried in order to get lower recurrence rate. The effectiveness on visual prognosis by combined therapy is still controversial. The effectiveness of PDT based on the diagnosis with indocyanine green angiography (IA guided PDT) has been investigated. Retinal angiomatous proliferation and choroidal neovascularization with large serous detachment of the retinal pigment epithelium resist to PDT. PDT has possibilities as a treatment to occlude the choroidal neovascularization, though it has merits and demerits.
