Retinal blood flow evaluation

Much of our basic knowledge of retinal blood flow regulation is based on data obtained from animal experiments through the use of invasive techniques. However, during the last decades, major developments in the field of optics and lasers have led to a variety of noninvasive techniques, which have been applied to the human eye for the investigation of retinal hemodynamics, and more specifically the regulation of retinal blood flow in response to a number of physiological and pharmacological stimuli. The Retinal Vessel Analyzer has markedly simplified the measurement of the diameter of retinal vessels, as well as the change in this diameter evoked by various physiological stimuli (dynamic measurements). Bidirectional laser Doppler velocimetry allows the measurement of absolute red blood cell centerline velocity, which, when combined with the diameter allows the calculation of retinal blood flow in the main retinal vessels. Laser Doppler flowmetry and laser speckle flowgraphy are techniques that measure the velocities of blood in discrete areas of the retinal tissue microcirculation. Adding a scanning capability, a spatial map of velocities across the retinal tissue is obtained. The blue-field simulation technique allows the quantification of the velocity, number and velocity pulsatility of leukocytes moving in the retinal capillaries of the macular region. With color Doppler imaging, the peak systolic and end-diastolic values of blood velocity in the ophthalmic and central retinal artery are measured, from which a resistivity index is obtained. These techniques may help better understand the role of altered retinal blood flow and its regulation in the pathogenesis of retinal diseases of vascular origin.