Fundus Autofluorescence Changes in Age-related Maculopathy

• Published in: Turk oftalmoloji gazetesi Vol. 48; no. 6; pp. 304 - 308
• Main Authors: Sermet, Figen, Kiziltunc, Pinar Bingol
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Turkey Galenos Yayinevi Tic. Ltd 01-12-2018; Türk Oftalmoloji Derneği; Galenos Publishing House; Galenos Publishing; Galenos Yayinevi
• Subjects: Age; age-related maculopathy; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Atrophy; Female; Fluorescein Angiography - methods; Fluorescence; Follow-Up Studies; Fundus autofluorescence; Fundus Oculi; Humans; lipofuscin; Macular degeneration; Macular Degeneration - diagnosis; Male; Medical imaging; Middle Aged; Original; Photoreceptors; reticular drusen; Retina - pathology; Retrospective Studies; Tıp; Tomography, Optical Coherence - methods; Visual Acuity; İstanbul; Türkiye; age-related maculopathy; lipofuscin; Fundus autofluorescence; reticular drusen
• ISSN: 1300-0659; 2149-8695; 2149-8709; 2147-2661
• DOI: 10.4274/tjo.69260

The aim of this study was to describe the fundus autofluorescence (FAF) findings of age-related maculopathy and risk patterns associated with FAF changes.
FAF images of 150 eyes with age-related maculopathy were evaluated retrospectively. FAF patterns were classified as normal, minimal change, focal increase, patchy, linear, lace-like, reticular, and speckled pattern. Correlation between patterns and visual acuity, pattern associations at initial visit, and focal atrophy development and pattern alterations during follow-up were evaluated.
At initial examination, 33.3% of the eyes showed no FAF pattern. In the other eyes, the most common patterns were reticular, focal increase, and patchy pattern at rates of 18%, 14.7%, and 11.3%, respectively. There was no correlation between pattern and visual acuity at initial visit. Two coexisting patterns were observed in 4.6% eyes, and the most common pattern in these combinations was reticular pattern (85.7%). Pattern alterations were observed in 5.3% of the eyes during follow-up. Half of these alterations involved transformation to reticular pattern or addition of reticular pattern to the initial pattern. In addition, 13.3% of the eyes developed focal atrophy during follow-up. Development of focal atrophy was more common with focal increase and reticular pattern, with rates of 45% and 30%, respectively.
Presence of reticular pattern may be a risk factor for change and progression of FAF findings in age-related maculopathy.