Doctor Murphy may order fluorescein angiography or optical coherence tomography (OCT) to further evaluate your retina or to guide laser treatment if it is necessary. Fluorescein angiography is a diagnostic procedure that uses a special camera to take a series of photographs of the retina after a small amount of yellow dye (fluorescein) is injected into a vein in your arm.
The photographs of fluorescein dye traveling throughout the retinal vessels show:
Which blood vessels are leaking fluid;
How much fluid is leaking;
How many blood vessels are closed;
Whether neovascularization is beginning.
OCT is a non-invasive scanning laser that provides high-resolution images of the retina, demonstrating its thickness. OCT can provide additional information regarding the presence and severity of macular edema.
