This prospective study investigated whether low-dose ionising radiotherapy preserved vision and caused membrane regression in patients with age-related subfoveal neovascular membranes (SFNVMs) or vascularised pigment epithelial detachments (PEDs) and relatively good initial visual acuities. Twenty-five patients with initial Snellen acuities of 6/24 or better were treated with low-dose external beam radiotherapy. Of the patients with SFNVMs, visual acuities were maintained or improved in 58% at 6 months and 53% at 1 year. Neovascular membrane size was assessed by image analysis and showed some regression in 47% and 41% at 6 and 12 months respectively. These results suggest that patients with SFNVMs and good vision may benefit from radiotherapy, faring better than previous reports of the natural history of this condition. Conversely, patients with vascularised PEDs did not appear to benefit from radiotherapy. Only 17% maintained their vision at 1 year and 33% suffered retinal pigment epithelial tears. The results from patients with SFNVMs and good initial vision, excluding those with vascularised PEDs, are encouraging however, any benefit from this treatment needs to be proven by controlled trials with long follow-up.
SUMMARYAutomated colour visiou testiug iu pseudophakes showed unexpected results. Chromatic discrimination sensitivity was measured in 22 diabetic pseudophakes with no retiuopathy, 23 diabetic pseudophakes with background retinopathy and 34 non-diabetic pseudo phakes. These results were compared with those in age matched normal and diabetic phakic subjects, all of whom had good vision. The diabetics were also matched for retinopathy grading and duratiou of diabetes. In all three groups, red-green discrimination sensitivity was worse in the pseudophakes when compared with the corresponding phakic subjects (normals, p
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