Polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy in Taiwan.

BACKGROUND Polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) has been described since the 1980s with great variations in patient data in different countries. We report the first case series in the Taiwanese population. METHODS We reviewed the medical records of all patients diagnosed with PCV between January 2000 and October 2001 at the retina clinics of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. RESULTS Eight patients (9 eyes) were enrolled. Six were men. The average age was 60.9 (range, 48-72). One patient had bilateral disease. All of the 9 eyes had polypoidal lesions in the macular area; 2 eyes had peripapillary lesions. The average follow-up time was 16.5 months. One eye (1/9) improved more than 2 lines in the Snellen chart, 4 eyes (4/9) changed within 1 line, and 4 eyes (4/9) deteriorated more than 2 lines. Seven eyes (7/9) had final visual acuities worse than 20/200 and 5 eyes (5/9) developed disciform scarring. CONCLUSIONS The prognosis of PCV among Taiwanese patients seems worse than in other ethnic groups. A high incidence of disciform scar formation and predominantly centrally located polypoid lesions seem to play an important role in the poor prognosis.