Incidence of neovascularization in the fellow eye of patients with unilateral retinal angiomatous proliferation

Abstract

The aim of this study is to describe the incidence and characteristics of neovascularization in the fellow eye of patients with retinal angiomatous proliferation (RAP). This is a retrospective study conducted on all patients with a diagnosis of unilateral RAP commencing treatment in a single centre between November 2002 and January 2010. Clinical biomicroscopic examination, fluorescein angiography, and if required, indocyanine green angiography, and optical coherence tomography were used to evaluate all patients. In all, 37 patients had a follow-up of ≥1 year, 28 ≥2 years, and 11 ≥3. Patients who developed RAP in the fellow eye were: 2 of 37 (5.4%) within 1 year of follow-up, 4 of 28 (14.2%) within 2 years, and 4 of 11 (36.3%) within 3 years. In our case series, the risk of neovascularization in the fellow eye of patients with unilateral RAP increased with time. Approximately one-third of patients with a 3-year follow-up developed a bilateral disease. Our findings warrant further large-scale investigation.