To investigate the potentially harmful effects of laser photocoagulation in the papillomacular bundle (PMB), the records of patients treated for idiopathic neovascular membranes or membranes secondary to histoplasmosis extending into the PMB were reviewed. Twenty-eight eyes of 27 patients were identified. Most eyes (75%) were treated with the krypton red laser, while the remainder (25%) were treated with either argon green (18%) or a combination of the two (7%). After treatment 21 eyes (75%) had stable or improved visual acuity and three eyes (11%) lost more than three lines. Four eyes (14%) had changes in the optic disc and one eye developed a permanent arcuate scotoma. These data suggest that severe visual loss and extensive visual field defects occur rarely after photocoagulation of peripapillary choroidal neovascular membranes.