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Fundus Autofluorescence Imaging in Posterior Uveitis

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Multimodal Imaging in Uveitis

Abstract

Fundus autofluorescence (FAF) is a relatively new but valuable imaging tool for multiple anatomical and physiological alterations in the ocular tissue secondary to inflammation, especially in posterior uveitis. FAF is the scale on which the health and function of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) can be measured. Essentially, FAF is a map of distribution of lipofuscin, which is the autofluorescent pigment of the eye, comprising of several types of fluorophores. Lipofuscin is naturally found in RPE due to photoreceptor outer segment turnover by RPE regularly. However, its excessive accumulation in the outer retina and neurosensory layer is observed in pathological processes.

Despite its noninvasive and efficient mode of action, individual specificity and efficacy of FAF in diagnosing and monitoring diseases may be less clear. However, in conjunction with other imaging modalities, the information generated from FAF can be very complementary and relevant. FAF delineates lesions secondary to inflammation of the posterior segments, thus showing distinct patterns of disease progression and regression at various stages. Thus, the autofluorescence pattern is not only a marker of the disease stage but can also be an evidence of response to therapy. Patterns of FAF may vary among ocular diseases. In the index chapter, applications of FAF in both infectious and noninfectious uveitis are described.

Dr. Afridi and Dr. Agarwal share the first authorship.

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Financial Support

The authors have no financial disclosure/proprietary interest. No conflicting relationship exists for any author.

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Author notes

  1. Rubbia Afridi and Aniruddha Agarwal contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, 94303, USA

    Rubbia Afridi MBBS, Mohammad Ali Sadiq MBBS, Muhammad Hassan MBBS, Diana V. Do MD, Quan Dong Nguyen MD, MSc & Yasir Jamal Sepah MBBS

  2. Department of Ophthalmology, Advanced Eye Center, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, India

    Aniruddha Agarwal MD

Authors
  1. Rubbia Afridi MBBS
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  2. Aniruddha Agarwal MD
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  3. Mohammad Ali Sadiq MBBS
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  4. Muhammad Hassan MBBS
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  5. Diana V. Do MD
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  6. Quan Dong Nguyen MD, MSc
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  7. Yasir Jamal Sepah MBBS
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Quan Dong Nguyen MD, MSc .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. National Eye Institute National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA

    H. Nida Sen

  2. Ophthalmology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA

    Russell W. Read

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Afridi, R. et al. (2018). Fundus Autofluorescence Imaging in Posterior Uveitis. In: Sen, H., Read, R. (eds) Multimodal Imaging in Uveitis. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-23690-2_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-23690-2_5

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-23689-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-23690-2

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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