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Autofluorescence suitable for clinical diagnostic imaging
WAIKOLOA, Hawaii — Autofluorescence is ideal and suitable for clinical diagnostic imaging, according to a speaker here.
It is especially helpful in following geographic atrophy, Scott W. Cousins, MD, said at Retina 2013.
Scott W. Cousins
“It’s been well-established now that compared to colored fundus photography, autofluorescence is the superior way of measuring geographic atrophy,” he said. “Some of the newer en face OCT reconstructions are at least as good as autofluorescence, but in a clinic, we found that autofluorescence is good at identifying where there is central-involving geographic atrophy.”
Cousins said autofluorescence is also useful in patients who have extensive regress or calcified drusen because it can differentiate between depigmentation and true multifocal geographic atrophy.
It has been shown that autofluorescence is quantifiable and can be used to reliably measure the change and increase in geographic atrophy over time, he said.
Neovascular age-related macular degeneration and simple diagnostic dilemmas are also ideal for autofluorescence, Cousins said.
Disclosure: Cousins is a consultant for Alcon, Genentech and Ophthotech.