Finasteride is effective for the treatment of central serous chorioretinopathy

Purpose To evaluate the safety and efficacy of finasteride treatment in patients with central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC). Methods Retrospective review of 29 eyes of 23 patients who were treated with finasteride for CSC. Previous medical and ocular history, steroid use, length of finasteride treatment, additional treatments for CSC, visual acuity (VA), central macular thickness (CMT), and presence of subretinal fluid (SRF) throughout the follow-up period, and the occurrence of any complications were recorded. Results Initial VA was 0.29 +/- 0.31 logMAR, and a trend towards improved VA was noted after 3 months (0.25 +/- 0.36 logMAR; P = 0.07). VA was significantly improved at the final follow-up (0.23 +/- 0.27 logMAR; P = 0.024). Initial CMT was 35 4 +/- 160 mu m, and was significantly reduced after 1 month of treatment (284 +/- 77 mu m; P = 0.002) and this was maintained to the end of follow-up (247 +/- 85 mu m; P = 0.001). A significant reduction in SRF presence was found at all time points, with an overall 75.9% rate of complete resolution. Following discontinuation, SRF recurrence was noted in 37.5% of cases. No adverse events were recorded. Conclusions Finasteride is a safe and effective treatment for CSC. It may be a possible new option for the initial management of patient with CSC, and a suggested treatment approach is presented.