Treatment of serous macular retinal detachment with antihistamines

The etiology of retinal detachment in central serous retinopathy (CSR) is unknown; however, three facts are generally accepted: (1) the serous exudate which raises the layers of the receptors/pigment epithelium is formed due to hyperpermeability in the choriocapillaries, (2) patients frequently suffer from headaches and (3) stress promotes the incidence of CSR. A high blood plasma histamine concentration can cause the abovementioned symptoms which suggests that histamine might provoke CSR. Within 1 week after administration of the antihistamine loratadin a considerable reduction in the retinal exudate and restoration of vision were observed. This supports the hypothesis that histamine could be involved in the process of retinal detachment. Further investigations and large scale clinical trials should clarify if this hypothesis can be proved or disproved and whether antihistamines can be used for age-related macular degeneration (AMD).