For the past 18 years, reports have been published here on the slow progress of research for treatment of central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC). Sometimes misdiagnosed as early-onset age-related macular degeneration, CSC is a disease of the central retina (the macula) affecting mostly middle-aged males, and it is thought to be caused by over-production of stress hormones. In spite of the large number of people affected, such studies have been far and few between. It is, therefore, worthy of mention when new findings are reported.
New work has now been done by Roger Goldberg, MD, MBA (Ophthalmic Consultants of Boston), who has offered further evidence that oral mifepristone (RU-486), an abortion drug, may reduce or improve subretinal fluid and improve visual acuity in individuals with CSC. His 29-patient STOMP-CSC study showed a significant reduction in retinal fluid in patients by about 43 μg (micrograms) compared with the placebo group at a reduction of 15 μg. Secondary findings showed an increase in visual acuity of treated patients by 3.6 letters on the eye chart compared to an increase of 0.7 letters by the placebo group. These results show further promise for CSC treatment, but Dr. Goldberg recommends that larger studies be performed in order to verify these results.
