Vascular-targeted photodynamic therapy in the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration: Clinical perspectives

• The manuscript is an overview of the studies about using VTP in the treatment of AMD.
• Vascular-targeted photodynamic therapy substantially changed management of AMD.
• Vascular effects of VTP depends on photosensitizer used and drug-light interval.
• New perspective of AMD therapy is combination of anti-VEGF and VTP.

Vascular targeted photodynamic therapy (VTP), with use of verteporfin as a photosensitizer is one of the few therapies, which has been shown to effectively slow the progression of the “wet” form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and even to stabilize visual acuity over many years. Although, due to considerable advance of AMD treatment, it is currently not recommended in monotherapy of AMD, however, its combination with steroids and anti-angiogenic biologic drugs may reveal high therapeutic potential in the treatment of neovascular AMD. The future of VTP as a method of AMD treatment is development of new selective and targeted photosensitizer and combination of this method with other therapeutic strategies targeting cellular structures or pathways involved in AMD progression.