What is Fluorescein Angiography?
Fluorescein is a vegetable based dye which is used frequently in Ophthalmology for examining the surface of the eye, or in an intravenous preparation as an aide in fundus photography. Fluorescein angiography was first described over 50 years ago at Duke University. A small amount of the fluorescein is injected into a vein in the hand or the arm, and wavelength specific still photographs or video are taken of the retina, marking the progress of the dye inside the vessels in the retina. This gives a wealth of information to the Retina Specialist about both the location of vessels and their nature (anatomic information), as well as to their activity or behavior (functional information).