Two Common Tests for Retinal Conditions
Southeastern Retina Associates uses state-of-the-art diagnostic testing to confirm or rule out problems that could affect your retina. The information we gather during diagnostic testing can help our doctors manage conditions in your retina and macula.
Fluorescein angiography (FA) is when our doctors use a special camera to take pictures of your retina. These pictures help our doctors get a better look at the blood vessels and other structures in the back of the eye.
FA is often recommended to find and diagnose eye disease including:
- Diabetic Retinopathy – damaged or abnormal blood vessels in the eye caused by diabetes
- Macular Degeneration – causes loss in the center of the field of vision
- Retinal Vein Occlusion – blockage of veins inside the eye
- Macular Edema – swelling in the retina that distorts vision
- Macular Pucker – a wrinkle in the retina caused by a buildup of fluid behind it
- Ocular Melanoma – a type of cancer affecting the eye
FA is also used to:
- Track and monitor changes in eye disease over time
- Target treatment areas
Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive imaging test that uses light waves to take cross-section pictures of your retina.
With OCT we can see each of the retina’s distinctive layers allowing us to map and measure their thickness. These measurements help with diagnosis as well as provide treatment guidance for diseases of the retina.
