Pilot Study for the Evaluation of Finasteride in the Treatment of Chronic Central Serous Chorioretinopathy

Study Summary

Central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) is a retinal disorder characterized by an accumulation of serous fluid under the retina. Although acute CSC tends to spontaneously resolve on its own with minimal sequelae, chronic CSC tends to persist and lead to irreversible visual loss. The pathogenesis of CSC is complex; however, systemic androgens have been implicated. Finasteride is an anti-androgen medication that is widely used in the treatment of various conditions. The objective of this study was to investigate the safety and potential efficacy of oral finasteride as a treatment for chronic CSC. Five participants with chronic CSC were enrolled into this uncontrolled, unmasked, Phase I/II study. An oral dose of finasteride, 5 mg daily, was administered to all participants for three months. Following this, finasteride was withheld and participants were observed for another three months. If a participant experienced a beneficial effect during the period in which he received finasteride and then experienced a relapse during the observation period, finasteride was re-instituted for the remaining period of the study. Relapse was defined as a return to the baseline maximum lesion height and/or return to baseline lesion volume.

Primary Outcome

Visual acuity was measured using the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) protocol. This acuity is measured as letters read on an ETDRS eye chart and the letters read equate to Snellen measurements. For example, if a participant reads between 84 and 88 letters the Snellen measurement is 20/20.

Interventions

• DRUG Finasteride