Photodynamic therapy with verteporfin for chronic central serous chorioretinopathy: A review of data and efficacy

Central serous chorioretinopathy represents the fourth most frequent retinal disorder, occurring especially in young age. Central serous chorioretinopathy is mainly characterized by macular serous retinal detachment and although the clinical course moves frequently toward a spontaneous resolution, the subretinal fluid may persist for a long time, thus evolving to the chronic form, and leading to a potential damage of the retinal pigment epithelium and to photoreceptors. The photodynamic therapy with verteporfin plays an important role in the armamentarium among the many therapeutic options employed in this complex retinal disorder. In this review, the authors aim to summarize data of efficacy and safety of PDT focusing especially on mechanisms of action of the PDT and providing comparative outcomes with the alternative therapeutic approaches, including especially the subthreshold laser treatment.