Quantitative Color Fundus Autofluorescence in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

A new short wavelength confocal blue-light 450 nm-fundus autofluorescence (color-FAF) allows for visualization of minor fluorophores (e.g., advanced glycation end products, AGEs), besides lipofuscin. The aim of the present pilot study was to quantitatively evaluate color-FAF in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) and to correlate these data with different stages of retinal disease severity. Optical coherence tomography and color-FAF images of 193 patients/eyes and 18 controls were analyzed using a custom software for quantification of the long (red) and short (green) wavelength components of the emission spectrum (REFC/GEFC). Measurements were performed in nine quadrants of the 6-mm ETDRS macular grid. Foveal GEFC and REFC intensities were higher in patients with DM compared to controls (p = 0.015 and p = 0.006 respectively) and in eyes with center involving diabetic macular edema (DME) compared to eyes without DME (p r = 0.37 (p r = 0.42 (p < 0.001), respectively. No differences were found in color-FAF among different DR severity groups. Quantitative color-FAF could become helpful for the metabolic evaluation of retina in patients with DM and in DME; however, further histologic and immunohistochemical studies on distribution of different retinal fluorophores in DM are needed to better understand its role.

Keywords

• autofluorescence
• green-emitting fluorophores
• advanced glycation end products
• lipofuscin
• diabetes mellitus
• diabetic retinopathy