Aim To determine a correlation between changes in the subfoveal choroidal thickness and outcomes 1 year after ranibizumab therapy for polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV).

Methods We prospectively studied 89 consecutive eyes with treatment-naïve symptomatic PCV and 1 year of follow-up after treatment. The choroidal thickness was measured monthly by optical coherence tomography using enhanced-depth imaging and the correlation between the changes in the choroidal thickness and outcomes 1 year after treatment was analysed.

Results 86 eyes followed for 1 year were ultimately analysed. The mean logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution visual acuity (0.33±0.35) 1 year after the first injection significantly (p=0.001) improved compared to baseline (0.42±0.37). The mean choroidal and foveal retinal thicknesses decreased significantly (p=0.001 for both comparisons) from 271 and 347 μm to 212 and 203 μm, respectively. The amplitude of the change in the subfoveal choroidal thickness during the 1-year follow-up in eyes in which the polypoidal lesions resolved 1 year after the first injection (89±94 μm) was significantly (p=0.022) greater than in eyes in which the polypoidal lesions remained (45±109 μm).

Conclusions The subfoveal choroidal thickness decreased during ranibizumab therapy, which was associated with resolved polypoidal lesions and foveal retinal thickness, and may be associated with PCV activity.