Lasers in Photodynamic Therapy With Verteporfin for the Treatment of Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Preamble/Title Page:

Release Date: May 2000

Last Review Date: April 2000

Expiration Date: May 31, 2001

Target Audience: Ophthalmologists

Statement of Need: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of severe vision loss in people over age 50. There are currently two therapies that have shown, through clinical trials, to reduce the risk of vision loss from choroidal neovascularization (CNV) in patients with AMD: photocoagulation and photodynamic therapy (PDT). PDT is the newest therapy in the treatment of this common cause vision loss.

Learning Objectives:

1. Discuss the differences in lasers used for photocoagulation and PDT.
2. Identify the benefits and limits of laser photocoagulation in AMD.
3. Determine the benefits and risks of photodynamic therapy with verteporfin in AMD.
4. Distinguish the characteristics of patients who would and would not benefit from this therapy.

Estimated Time to Complete the Activity: 1 hour

Faculty/Editorial Board: Neil M. Bressler, M.D.

Accreditation Statement: This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and Policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint sponsorship of Postgraduate Institute for Medicine an Review of Ophthalmology. The Postgraduate Institute for Medicine is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians and takes responsibility for the content, quality, and scientific integrity of this CME activity.

Designation Statement: The Postgraduate Institute for Medicine designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1 hour in category 1 credit towards the AMA Physician’s Recognition Award. Each physician should claim only those hours of credit that he/she actually spent in the educational activity.

Disclosure Statement: Postgraduate Institute for Medicine has a conflict of interest policy that requires course faculty to disclose any real or apparent commercial financial affiliations related to the content of their presentations/materials. It is not assumed that these financial interests or affiliations will have an adverse impact on faculty presentations; they are simply noted here to fully inform participants. Dr. Bressler has disclosed that he is a paid consultant for CIBA Vision AG (Bulach, Switzerland) and QLT Photo Therapeutics, Inc. (Vancouver, Canada).

Postgraduate Institute for Medicine does not view the existence of these relationships to imply bias or that the value of the material is decreased. The content of this activity was planned to be balanced, objective, and scientifically rigorous. Occasionally, authors may express opinions that represent their own viewpoint. Conclusions drawn by participants should be derived from objective analysis of scientific data.

Disclaimer: Any procedures, medications, or other courses of diagnosis or treatment discussed or suggested in this activity should not be used by clinicians without evaluation of their patient’s conditions and possible contraindications on dangers in use, review of any applicable manufacturer’s product information, and comparison with recommendations of other authorities.

This CME article is sponsored by the Postgraduate Institute for Medicine and supported by an unrestricted educational grant from Zeiss Humphrey Systems, a division of Carl Zeiss, Inc.

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