Chichan Hasan, Maus Matthias, Heindl Ludwig M
Department of Ophthalmology, University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, 50923, Germany.
Sehkraft Eye Center, Cologne, 50667, Germany.
Clin Ophthalmol. 2021 May 6;15:1887-1895. doi: 10.2147/OPTH.S307671. eCollection 2021.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a degenerative disorder, is a major cause of irreversible severe visual deterioration in the older Western population. Thus, treatments that resolve drusen may prove helpful in limiting the progression of AMD. The study aimed to evaluate the clinical outcome of sub-threshold nanosecond laser therapy (SNL) using a double-frequency nanosecond-pulsed laser with discontinuous energy beam distribution in the early stages of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
In a single-center cohort study, 64 eyes with early or intermediate AMD were treated using SNL and then compared to 77 untreated, control eyes. The primary outcome measures included the area and amount of drusen, and the secondary outcome measures included change in visual acuity and rate of drusen progression within 6 months of follow-up.
A total of 64 patients' eyes following SNL treatment showed a significant reduction in the area and amount of drusen after 6 months in comparison to the corresponding values in the control group (<0.001, respectively). There was no significant difference in visual acuity change after 6 months in both groups (0.59, respectively). Within the 6-month follow-up, the rate of progression in drusen size and number was significantly lower in the SNL group (26%) than in the control group (69%; <0.001).
SNL therapy is a novel, promising approach for improving the macular morphology in patients with early and intermediate AMD. Further studies are necessary to reveal the potential to reduce the risk of transformation into advanced or wet AMD and to retain vision.
年龄相关性黄斑变性（AMD）是一种退行性疾病，是西方老年人群不可逆性严重视力下降的主要原因。因此，消除玻璃膜疣的治疗方法可能有助于限制AMD的进展。本研究旨在评估在年龄相关性黄斑变性（AMD）早期使用具有不连续能量束分布的双频纳秒激光进行阈下纳秒激光治疗（SNL）的临床效果。
在一项单中心队列研究中，对64只早期或中期AMD眼睛进行了SNL治疗，然后与77只未治疗的对照眼睛进行比较。主要观察指标包括玻璃膜疣的面积和数量，次要观察指标包括随访6个月内的视力变化和玻璃膜疣进展率。
与对照组相应值相比，SNL治疗后的64例患者眼睛在6个月后玻璃膜疣的面积和数量均显著减少（分别<0.001）。两组在6个月后的视力变化无显著差异（分别为0.59）。在6个月的随访期内，SNL组玻璃膜疣大小和数量的进展率（26%）显著低于对照组（69%；<0.001）。
SNL治疗是一种改善早期和中期AMD患者黄斑形态的新颖且有前景的方法。有必要进一步研究以揭示降低转变为晚期或湿性AMD风险及保留视力的潜力。
