To determine whether photodynamic therapy (PDT) is effective and safe for the treatment of chronic central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) in Korean patients.

Eleven eyes of 11 patients with chronic CSC underwent PDT. The laser spot size was chosen to cover the hyperfluorescent area on indocyanine green (ICG) angiography principally and to cover wide area including leaking point or detachment of retinal pigment epithelium on fluorescein angiography. We analyzed the medical records retrospectively to know the changes in visual acuity and serous detachment.

The mean follow-up was 14.2±6 months and exudative macular detachments resolved completely in 11 eyes within 1 month. In addition, eight weeks after treatment, the visual acuity improved in 3 eyes, and remained unchanged in 7 eyes and decreased in one eye. However, in 2 eyes, visual acuity decreased immediately after PDT due to choroidal hypoperfusion, and in one of them, the final visual acuity did not recover to the pre-treatment level.

In Korean patients, PDT seems to be effective for treatment of chronic CSC in the short term, but the long-term efficacy still must be determined. In addition, in PDT used for treatment of choroidal neovascularization (CNV), there was a possibility of irreversible occlusion in normal choroidal capillaries. Further studies are needed to determine the treatment parameters of PDT.