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Fundus Autofluorescence Imaging in Retinal Dystrophies

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Inherited Chorioretinal Dystrophies

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Abstract

The retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) possesses numerous functions which are essential for normal photoreceptor function. The RPE cell monolayer has also been implicated in various degenerative and genetically determined retinal diseases [1, 16, 44, 51]. Given the close anatomic relationship to layers posterior and anterior to the RPE cell monolayer, postmitotic RPE cells are involved in disease processes even if the primary cause originates, e.g., from cells of the neurosensory retina or the choroid. Because of its crucial role in retinal diseases, various attempts have been undertaken to visualize the RPE in the living eye. While fluorescence angiography mainly detects secondary effects such as alterations in the outer blood-retinal barrier, resolution, e.g., of ultrasonography or optical coherence tomography, is insufficient to visualize the cellular elements. Either with confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy [46] which was initially developed by Webb and Hughes [50], or with a modified fundus camera [43], it is now possible to record fundus autofluorescence (FAF) and its spatial distribution in vivo. As shown by spectrometric findings by Delori et al. [13], the FAF signal mainly derives from RPE lipofuscin. Therefore, FAF imaging represents a diagnostic, noninvasive tool to evaluate the RPE during aging and in ocular disease.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, University of Bonn, Ernst-Abbe Strasse 2, Bonn, D53127, Germany

    Monika Fleckenstein, Peter Charbel Issa & Frank G. Holz

Authors
  1. Monika Fleckenstein
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  2. Peter Charbel Issa
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  3. Frank G. Holz
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Correspondence to Frank G. Holz .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Service d’Exploration de la Vision et Neuro-ophtalmologie, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Lille, Hôpital Roger Salengro, Lille Cedex, France

    Bernard Puech

  2. Department of Ophthalmology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

    Jean-Jacques De Laey

  3. Department of Electrophysiology, Moorfields Eye Hospital, London, United Kingdom

    Graham E. Holder

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Fleckenstein, M., Issa, P.C., Holz, F.G. (2014). Fundus Autofluorescence Imaging in Retinal Dystrophies. In: Puech, B., De Laey, JJ., Holder, G. (eds) Inherited Chorioretinal Dystrophies. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-69466-3_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-69466-3_6

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