Wide-field autofluorescence to be used in AREDS2 study

Information gathered from the peripheral retina may be important for the diagnosis and management of retinal disease.

In a retrospective analysis of patients referred to an imaging center for retinal imaging who agreed to have wide-field autofluorescence using Optos' ultra-widefield retina imaging, 76% had abnormalities in the peripheral retina, or outside the central 30° that would normally be seen with standard autofluorescence. According to information on the company's website, the Optos imaging device offers up to 200° of view within the eye, constituting about 82% of the total retina in a single image.

Patients in the study were previously diagnosed with age-related macular degeneration, inflammatory disease, ocular tumors, central serous retinopathy and retinal degenerations. Further studies are under way to determine the significance of hyper- or hypofluorescent patterns recognized in patients diagnosed with these pathologies.

"The clinical significance of these findings requires further investigation but demonstrates the importance of understanding changes in the periphery of the retina," Srinivas Sadda, MD, of the Doheny Eye Institute, said in a press release announcing the study results, which were unveiled at the recent American Society of Retina Specialists annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Optos also announced that the technology will be used in the AREDS2 study to monitor effectiveness of study treatments. The proprietary technology may also prove useful in helping to define phenotypic expression of retinal pathologies with a genetic link, investigators said.