Retinal Microangiopathy

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Abstract
• The capillary perfusion of 14 eyes with nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy and 14 eyes with retinal branch vein occlusion was assessed by wide-angle fluorescein angiography. Regional perfusion was directly correlated with visual sensitivity determined by OCTOPUS-automated static perimetry. Visual function was found to correlate linearly with capillary perfusion in both diseases. Occasional foci of decreased visual sensitivity that corresponded to a region of good capillary perfusion were found in the central fields of diabetics. Although capillary dropout appears to be the major cause of decreased visual sensitivity in microangiopathy, local metabolic factors may also play a role. Further studies are required to determine whether foci of decreased function are predictive of future capillary dropout or neovascularization.