Optical coherence tomography angiography in type 3 neovascularization

Type 3 neovascularization (NV) is a well-established form of neovascular age-related macular degeneration. In the past years, the development of a multimodal imaging approach has significantly expanded our knowledge about the controversial nature of type 3 NV. In detail, high-resolution multimodal imaging including high-density optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT-angiography has been illustrated that type 3 neovascularizations originate as an intraretinal vascular proliferation from the retinal deep capillary plexus (DCP) with initially no visible connection to the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and sub-RPE space or the choroid. These neovessels are asymptomatic intraretinal neovascularizations originating from the DCP, namely “nascent” type 3 NV, that could display a downgrowth progression to the RPE and progress to an “active” form of type 3 NV or could regress. The identification of early stages of the disease is of paramount importance in the treatment and outcome of patients affected by type 3 NV.