Radiation maculopathy after epimacular brachytherapy for the treatment of subfoveal choroidal neovascularization secondary to age-related macular degeneration.

PURPOSE: To describe a case of radiation maculopathy after a 24-Gy single-fraction epimacular brachytherapy delivered concomitantly with ranibizumab for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration. METHODS: Case report. RESULTS: An 82-year-old man with neovascular age-related macular degeneration was treated with epiretinal brachytherapy and 2 intraocular injections of ranibizumab with initial good response. Nineteen months after initial treatment, visual acuity decreased and the patient was diagnosed of radiation maculopathy. CONCLUSION: Radiation-related ocular side effects such as maculopathy may become evident several years after the treatment. Thus, vascular abnormalities that may appear in the follow-up of these patients can easily be misdiagnosed as a complication of the previous choroidal neovascularization.