Search

Background: Fundus autofluorescence (FAF) may be excited and measured at different wavelengths. In the present study we compared short wavelength and near-infrared FAF patterns of retinal dystrophies., Methods: We analysed both eyes of 108 patients with diverse retinal dystrophies. Besides colour fundus photographs, FAF images were obtained with the Heidelberg Retina Angiograph (HRA 2). Excitation wavelengths of 488 nm (blue; filter at 500 nm) and 787 nm (near-infrared; filter at 810 nm) were applied. For improvement of the signal-to-noise ratio a total of nine images were averaged, and the mean images (original grey values, not normalized) were analysed., Results: Useful FAF images of both excitation wavelengths were achieved in all patients. We observed characteristic FAF patterns, which differed between excitation wavelengths depending on the disease. With time, FAF pattern changes and progression could be observed., Conclusion: FAF of both wavelengths provided additional information for phenotype description in retinal dystrophies. Other than short wavelength FAF, near-infrared FAF showed different pathological changes, which may be related to changes in RPE melanin. However, any conclusions may be limited by the still incomplete knowledge about the prognostic value of FAF in the diseases studied here.

Purpose: Ciliary block glaucoma most commonly occurs after intraocular surgery. We report a case of malignant glaucoma following blunt trauma of the eye with no previous surgery or laser., Patient: A 54-year-old female suffered from acute elevation of intraocular pressure on her right eye after blunt trauma 2 months earlier. As a variety of topical and systemic antiglaucomatous drugs and the presence of a patent iridotomy could not control intraocular pressure (IOP) and the anterior chamber remained flattened, ciliary block glaucoma was diagnosed. Subsequent surgical treatment included pars plana vitrectomy (PPV), phacoemulsification with implantation of an intraocular lens, a second PPV with trabeculectomy and mitomycin-C, eccentric YAG-laser capsulotomy, and a third PPV with zonulo-iridectomy and endolaser-induced zonular shrinkage. After this variety of surgical approaches, a stable and deep anterior chamber could be achieved with an average IOP of 10 mmHg., Conclusions: Ciliary block glaucoma may occur after blunt trauma of the eye even without a history of intraocular surgery or laser. In addition, our case demonstrates the uncertainty of surgical success in affected patients.