Which procedure uses fluorescein dye to photograph the eye's blood vessels?

Which procedure uses fluorescein dye to photograph the eye's blood vessels?

• A. Fluorescein angiography (FA)
• B. Fluorescein staining
• C. Slit-lamp
• D. Tonometry

Answer: (A)

Imaging the retinal blood vessels with a fluorescent dye and capturing photographs is fluorescein angiography. A fluorescent dye is injected into the bloodstream and travels through the ocular circulation; specialized cameras with blue light excitation and appropriate filters photograph the dye as it fluoresces, revealing the vessels’ pattern, any leaks, blockages, or abnormal vessels. This is precisely what fluorescein angiography measures. Fluorescein staining, by contrast, places dye on the surface of the eye to highlight corneal epithelial defects, not vessels. A slit-lamp is a binocular microscope used to examine the eye in detail, not a dye-based imaging of vessels. Tonometry assesses intraocular pressure, not vascular imaging.

Imaging the retinal blood vessels with a fluorescent dye and capturing photographs is fluorescein angiography. A fluorescent dye is injected into the bloodstream and travels through the ocular circulation; specialized cameras with blue light excitation and appropriate filters photograph the dye as it fluoresces, revealing the vessels’ pattern, any leaks, blockages, or abnormal vessels. This is precisely what fluorescein angiography measures.

Fluorescein staining, by contrast, places dye on the surface of the eye to highlight corneal epithelial defects, not vessels. A slit-lamp is a binocular microscope used to examine the eye in detail, not a dye-based imaging of vessels. Tonometry assesses intraocular pressure, not vascular imaging.