Fluorescein Angiography in Macular Diseases

A selection of various interesting macular disorders is presented and the great value of fluorescein angiography in outlining the underlying structural abnormalities is demonstrated. An important feature of angiography is that the integrity of the blood-retina barrier and the choroido-retinal diffusion barrier (the tight junctions of the cells of the retinal pigment epithelium) can easily be assessed in vivo. Macular diseases showing leakage of fluorescein, either from the retinal vessels or from the choriocapillaries, are candidates for (laser) photocoagulation and angiography has proven to be indispensable in deciding upon the advisability of photocoagulation and assessing its effectiveness when employed.