Effects of Photobiomodulation in Patients Presenting with Reticular Pseudodrusen: A Retrospective Observational Case Series Study.

Background and Objectives: The purpose of this study is to describe the effects of photobiomodulation on drusen regression with patients presenting with reticular pseudodrusen (RPD). Materials and Methods: This study is a retrospective observational case series study including patients presenting with RPD who underwent treatment by photobiomodulation. All patients underwent a complete ophthalmic examination and multimodal imaging prior to treatment, including spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Eyes were treated two times per week for six consecutive weeks. Best corrected-visual acuity (BVCA) was measured prior and after treatment for all patients. The number of RPD on the SD-OCT scans centered on the macula and stages of RPD was noted at baseline and 6 months after the first treatment session. Results: Five eyes of five patients were included in the study. Mean BCVA did not change 6 months after treatment compared to baseline. Mean number of RPD per eye was 112.60 +/- 48.33 RPD at baseline and 111.6 +/- 49.29 in the same area 6 months after treatment. Changes in RPD distribution according to RPD classification were observed before and after treatment with photobiomodulation. Changes in distribution mostly concerned stages 1 and 3 RPD: Total number of stage 1 RPD was 289 and increased to 324 after treatment. Total number of stage 3 RPD was 97 at baseline and decreased to 67 6 months after treatment. Percentage of stage 1 RPD increased from 46% to 56% after treatment. Percentage of stage 3 RPD decreased from 20% to 13% after treatment. Conclusions: Changes in RPD distribution were observed before and after treatment with photobiomodulation. The number of stage 3 reticular pseudodrusen decreased while number of stage 1 reticular pseudodrusen increased after treatment.

Regression of macular drusenoid retinal pigment epithelial detachments after plaque radiation therapy.

The authors describe a case in which drusenoid retinal pigment epithelial detachments (DRPEDs) melted after plaque radiation therapy for an unrelated choroidal melanoma. The patient had a history of bilateral macular DRPEDs prior to palladium-103 plaque therapy. The choroidal melanoma was located in the temporal macula. The central fovea was calculated to receive an incidental radiation dose of 34 Gy. Six months after treatment, an ipsilateral, unilateral reduction of DRPEDs was first noted by comparative fundus photography and optical coherence tomography. From his initial evaluation to his last follow-up, the patient's visual acuity slightly improved from 20/20 to 20/16.