Vitreous fluorophotometry in patients with senile macular degeneration

Twenty-two phakic eyes of 16 patients with varying stages of senile macular degeneration (SMD) underwent vitreous fluorophotometry. The upper tolerance limit of the penetration ratio in 17 eyes of 17 age-matched controls was 6.33 X 10(-6) min-1. Ten of the 22 eyes with SMD had values exceeding this, indicating abnormal blood-retinal barrier function. When the fluorescence recorded in the vitreous but not related to the local intravitreal dye was evaluated, it was greater in those eyes with more severe forms of the disease. All ten eyes with drusen alone and no SMD had normal fluorophotometry values. Vitreous fluorophotometry may be helpful in the diagnosis and classification of SMD.