The diagnostic contribution of indocyanine green to fluorescein angiography in fellow drusen eyes of patients with wet age-related macular degeneration

PURPOSE. To assess the contribution of indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) to fluorescein angiography (FA) in evaluating fellow drusen eyes of patients with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in the other eye. METHODS. The records of paired FA and ICGA of patients with dry AMD in one eye and wet AMD in the other eye were retrospectively reviewed. Based on color fundus photographs, drusen were graded to low, moderate, or high grade of severity on FA. The FA and ICGA findings were compared. RESULTS. Fifty-two pairs of eyes were included. Fluorescein angiography showed drusen of low severity in 11 (21.2%) eyes, of moderate severity in 31 (59.6%), and of high severity in 10 (19.2%). Leakage on both FA and ICGA was not demonstrated in any case of drusen of low or moderate severity. Only in 2 out of 10 eyes from the high severity group, 3.8% of the eyes of the whole study population, did ICGA reveal occult choroidal neovascularization (CNV) that was not observed on FA. CONCLUSIONS. In selected eyes with drusen of high grade severity, ICGA may detect occult CNV, unrecognized clinically or by FA. ICGA had a small contribution to the diagnosis of occult CNV in fellow drusen eyes with any degree of severity.