Abstract

SA.21.10

Near infrared autofluorescence imaging: Clinical application and significance

Steffen Schmitz-Valckenberg
Department of Ophthalmology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany

Thanks to increased sensitivity and improved signal-to-noise ratio, modern confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy allows – in addition to the well-known fundus autofluorescence with blue excitation light – for visualization of fundus autofluorescence phenomena by nearinfrared light. Hereby, the so-called ICG-mode is used. Application in patients and case reports in animal models and donor eye suggest that nearinfrared fundusautofluroescence detects fluorophores at the level of the retinal pigment epithelium. Melanin has been postulated as the major candidate. However, no spectral analyses as for lipofuscin for blue light fundus autofluroescence have been reported.
Due to the weak signal strength, artifacts including pseudofluorescence phenomena should be particularly considered. Clinical applications imply that nearinfrared fundus autofluorescence findings differ from those derived by standard blue fundus autofluorescence in several retinal diseases. For example, distinct blue fundus autofluroescence patterns that have been described in patients with geographic atrophy secondary to age-related macular degeneration, do seldom correspond to signal alterations of nearinfrared fundus autofluorescence.

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