Visudyne (photodynamic therapy)
Photodynamic therapy with Visudyne injection was FDA-approved in 2000 for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (predominantly classic subfoveal choroidal neovascularization). Alternate indications include pathologic myopia or presumed ocular histoplasmosis. This drug is activated by light, and functions to block the mature vessels that may be expressing less or no VEG-F, contributing to persistent AMD activity in spite of anti VEG-F treatments.
The most common adverse events reported with Visudyne include injection site reactions, blurred vision, decreased visual acuity and visual field defects (10-30%). Contraindications include porphyria or known hypersensitivity to any component of the drug formulation.