PURPOSE: To analyze the appearance, incidence, and characteristics of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in patients with high myopia corrected by implantation of a phakic anterior chamber intraocular lens (PACL). SETTING: University Miguel Hernández, Instituto Oftalmológico de Alicante, Alicante, Spain. METHODS: The CNV observed in 294 consecutive eyes (181 patients) implanted with a PACL for the correction of high myopia (-7.0 to -38.0 diopters) was studied. The mean follow-up was 50.6 months +/- 32.8 (SD) (range 6 to 120 months). RESULTS: Choroidal neovascularization occurred in 5 eyes (1.70%); 3 eyes were in women, and 2 were in men. The interval between PACL implantation and CNV was 63.2 +/- 27.3 months (range 18 to 87 months). The CNV was subfoveal in 4 eyes and juxtafoveal in 1 case. The mean best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA) after PACL implantation and before the appearance of CNV was 0.53 +/- 0.18 (range 0.4 [20/50] to 0.8 [20/25]); after CNV appeared, it was 0.26 +/- 0.18 (range 0.05 [20/400] to 0.5 [20/40]), a statistically significant difference (P =.001, paired Student t test). In 2 cases, the CNV was treated with photodynamic therapy (PDT); in the other 3 cases, PDT was rejected. The cumulative risk for CNV (Kaplan-Meier survival analysis) in highly myopic patients corrected by PACL implantation was 0.43% at 18 months and 5.4% at 87 months. CONCLUSIONS: Implantation of a PACL to correct high myopia was followed by a small incidence of CNV (cumulative risk of 5.4% at 87 months). The appearance of CNV was followed by a significant decrease in BSCVA.
PURPOSE: To analyze the appearance, incidence, and characteristics of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in patients with high myopia corrected by implantation of a phakic anterior chamber intraocular lens (PACL). SETTING: University Miguel Hernández, Instituto Oftalmológico de Alicante, Alicante, Spain. METHODS: The CNV observed in 294 consecutive eyes (181 patients) implanted with a PACL for the correction of high myopia (-7.0 to -38.0 diopters) was studied. The mean follow-up was 50.6 months +/- 32.8 (SD) (range 6 to 120 months). RESULTS: Choroidal neovascularization occurred in 5 eyes (1.70%); 3 eyes were in women, and 2 were in men. The interval between PACL implantation and CNV was 63.2 +/- 27.3 months (range 18 to 87 months). The CNV was subfoveal in 4 eyes and juxtafoveal in 1 case. The mean best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA) after PACL implantation and before the appearance of CNV was 0.53 +/- 0.18 (range 0.4 [20/50] to 0.8 [20/25]); after CNV appeared, it was 0.26 +/- 0.18 (range 0.05 [20/400] to 0.5 [20/40]), a statistically significant difference (P =.001, paired Student t test). In 2 cases, the CNV was treated with photodynamic therapy (PDT); in the other 3 cases, PDT was rejected. The cumulative risk for CNV (Kaplan-Meier survival analysis) in highly myopic patients corrected by PACL implantation was 0.43% at 18 months and 5.4% at 87 months. CONCLUSIONS: Implantation of a PACL to correct high myopia was followed by a small incidence of CNV (cumulative risk of 5.4% at 87 months). The appearance of CNV was followed by a significant decrease in BSCVA.