Foveal function and thickness after verteporfin photodynamic therapy in central serous chorioretinopathy with hyperautofluorescent subretinal deposits.

PURPOSE: To assess the prognostic effect of subretinal deposits in eyes with central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC). METHODS: The study included 21 eyes with foveal detachment and subretinal deposits at presentation that underwent photodynamic therapy (PDT). No symptoms or signs of CSC were found in the fellow eyes. Microperimetry, autofluorescence imaging, and optical coherence tomography were performed in both eyes before and after PDT. Subgroup analyses included comparison of eyes with an initial episode versus a recurrent episode of CSC. RESULTS: Four months after PDT, foveal sensitivity had improved significantly in both initial episode eyes and recurrent episode eyes, but sensitivity remained at 3.1 dB (SD = 3.06, P = 0.008) and 2.7 dB (SD = 3.55, P = 0.028), respectively, lower than in the fellow eyes. Four months after PDT, foveal thickness was 245 μm (SD = 24.2) in the initial episode eyes versus 285 μm (SD = 22.6) in the fellow eyes (P < 0.001) and 246 μm (SD = 33.7) in the recurrent episode eyes versus 291 μm (SD = 24.8) in the fellow eyes (P = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Eyes with foveal detachment and subretinal deposits that underwent PDT for CSC did not recover to the functional and structural level of the asymptomatic fellow eyes, irrespective of the number of episodes of CSC. The study indicates that subretinal deposits are associated with irreversible foveal damage in CSC.