FOVEAL VISION FUNCTION BEFORE AND AFTER FLUORESCEIN ANGIOGRAPHY

Purpose. Fluorescein angiography is routinely used in ophthalmologic p ractice with minimal changes in vision reported by the patient after t he procedure. Recent animal work has suggested that fluorescein may be cytotoxic in the presence of light and may cause retinal damage. The authors examined whether any changes occur in foveal vision function a fter fluorescein angiography. Methods. A battery of tests of vision fu nction-including visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, color vision, an d two-color increment thresholds designed to isolate individual cone p athways-was administered before and 48 hours after fluorescein angiogr aphy to a group of 10 patients with good visual acuity. Results. Most of the patients showed significant abnormalities with the nonstandard tests; however, no significant changes in central vision function were found 48 hours after fluorescein angiography. Conclusion. Even sensit ive vision tests show no measurable effect of fluorescein angiography on foveal vision function in eyes with significant disease.