Abstract

Studies with vitreous fluorophotometry and fluorescein angiography have shown that ocular tissues exhibit intrinsic fluorescence properties. The fluorescence characteristics of the crystalline lens have been extensively studied. Little is known, however, about the origin of the weak fluorescence detected from the fundus and about the relative contribution of various fluorophores to that fluorescence. Different fluorophores that may have important diagnostic significance can be identified in the fundus layers. Lipofuscin accumulates with age in the human RPE and it has been hypothesized that this pigment plays a role in the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration [1-3]. FAD is a mitochondrial component of the respiratory enzyme chain [4]. The oxygenation-dependent fluorescence characteristics of this pigment could serve as a basis for measurements of the oxidative state of the retina.

© 1990 Optical Society of America