Myopic choroidal neovascularization: natural course and treatment

Abstract

Choroidal neovascularization (CNV) is the most common vision-threatening complication of high myopia. Myopic CNV has recently attracted a lot of attention, mainly because of a variety of newly developed treatments. To evaluate the efficacy of these new treatments against myopic CNV, we need to know more precisely the natural course of myopic CNV. The results of most previously reported studies regarding the natural course of myopic CNV, however, are somewhat contradictory. In this review, we describe the recently reported long-term prognosis of myopic CNV and the effectiveness of newly developed treatments as well as an overview of possible future treatments. A recent study evaluating the visual outcome of myopic CNV for at least 10 years after onset in a large series of patients reported that the visual prognosis of myopic CNV without treatment is extremely poor, mainly because of the secondary development of chorioretinal atrophy around the area of regressed CNV. Although conventional treatments against myopic CNV, such as laser photocoagulation or surgical extraction of CNV, have not been effective, newly developed treatments such as foveal translocation or photodynamic therapy have had favorable results on myopic CNV in the short-term. Pharmacologic interventions to treat or prevent CNV are also expected in the future. Because the natural prognosis of myopic CNV is extremely poor, treatment to prevent further visual loss is necessary. Based on the steady and gradual visual decrease in myopic CNV over the long term, however, long-term results are needed before the true effectiveness of the newly developed active treatments can be determined.