Individuals with predominantly classic (>50% of lesion area on fluorescein angiography), sub-foveal CNV not previously treated with PDT or antiangiogenic drugs were included. The need for PDT (active or sham) was determined every 3 months using fluorescein angiography. Patients in the PDT group received a mean of 19.2 sham injections, and ranibizumab groups received a mean of 2.2 and 1.9 sham PDT interventions, respectively. Change in lesion characteristics on angiography also favoured ranibizumab. In pooled ranibizumab groups, 3 of 277 patients (1.1%) developed endophthalmitis at a rate of 0.05% per injection.