What is Fluorescein Angiography?
Fluorescein angiography is a type of examination done to find different eye diseases and conditions. The ophthalmologists at Boston Vision use a special camera to take pictures of the retina. The pictures will help your ophthalmologist to get a better look at the blood vessels and other structures in the back part of the eye.
What Does Fluorescein Angiography Treat?
The fluorescein angiography (FA) is recommended to find and diagnose different eye diseases. It can also be used to track your eye changes over time. Here is what FA can find:
- Diabetic retinopathy
- Macular edema
- Macular degeneration
- Macular pucker
- Ocular melanoma
- Blockage of veins inside the eye
- Track changes in eye disease over time
- Target treatment areas.
How is Fluorescein Angiography Done?
This exam is done in-office at Boston Vision. It takes less than 30 minutes to complete. Your eye care specialist will put drops into the eye to dilate the pupil. A yellowish dye (fluorescein) is injected into a vein in your arm. It takes about 15 seconds for the dye to travel through the body and reach the blood vessels in the eye. This causes the blood vessels to shine brightly. As the dye passes through the retina, a special camera will be taking pictures. With these pictures, your ophthalmologist will be able to diagnose any problems and find a focus area for treatment.
The test is very safe, however, a small fraction of patients may develop a mild reaction to fluorescein substance ranging from nausea to an allergic reaction. Severe allergic reactions to the Fluorescein dye are extremely rare. Due to secretion of renal excretion of the dye, orange discoloration of the urine for 24-36 hours after this test may occur and is harmless.
The effects of dilating your eyes can last for several hours. Due to this, it is important that you have someone drive you home afterward.
Schedule a Consultation
Your ophthalmologist may want to use this test to diagnose any eye conditions. If you notice any symptoms of a potential eye problem, contact Boston Vision today to schedule an appointment with one of our eye doctors. Don’t wait until your vision is impaired to get treatment started. To schedule your appointment, book online with us or email us at help@bostonvision.com to get started.
