. Radiation therapy for age-related subfovealneovascular membranes

摘要

Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in patients older than 50 years of age in the Western world. The natural visual course for patients with subfoveal membranes is poor. Retrospective studies have shown that about 60-70% of affected have final acuity of 0.1 or worse within 12-18 months1"4. Although previous studies have shown some long-term benefit of laser treatment for subfoveal CNV, the patient has to be prepared for a large decrease in visual acuity immediately following therapy5"7.