LAUSR

PURPOSE To investigate fellow eyes of newly diagnosed unilateral exudative Type 3(T3) macular neovascularization(MNV) patients by assessing the presence and progression of a pre-clinical neovascular component during a 3-year follow-up. METHODS This is a longitudinal study involving 3 retinal referral centers. Patients affected by unilateral exudative treatment-naïve T3 MNV were enrolled. RESULTS Twenty-four eyes of 24 patients (79±6 years old) were enrolled. Nine eyes (37%) displayed a non-exudative T3 MNV at the baseline, that developed exudation after a mean of 9±9 months. 15 eyes that did not display a non-exudative Type 3 MNV at baseline. Five eyes (21%) did not display neovessels at the baseline but showed a non-exudative T3 after 13±9 months, and exudation after 8±3 months. Five eyes (21%) developed active exudative T3 MNV after 23±9 months, with no detectable non-exudative stage at baseline. Five eyes (21%) did not show MNV but progressed to geographic atrophy by 36 months of follow-up. Overall, T3 MNV in the fellow eye accounted for 79%, all developing exudation over 3 years of follow-up. CONCLUSION The occurrence of a non-exudative T3 MNV is a frequent event in the fellow eye of patients newly diagnosed with unilateral exudative T3 MNV and it precedes the development of exudation over 3 years (prevalence of 37% and cumulative incidence of 79%). OCT-A approach may be employed to perform an early diagnosis and treatment of patients with T3 MNV.