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Updated: Jan 6, 2026
Quantitative Fundus Autofluorescence for the Evaluation of Retinal Diseases
Published on: March 11, 2016
VITAMIN A DEFICIENCY MONITORED BY QUANTITATIVE SHORT WAVELENGTH FUNDUS AUTOFLUORESCENCE IN A CASE OF BARIATRIC
Jose Ronaldo Lima de Carvalho1,2,3, Stephen H Tsang1,4, Janet R Sparrow1,4
1Department of Ophthalmology, Columbia University, New York, New York.
Background/Purpose:
Bariatric surgery is recognized as a treatment option for obesity. However, the cost-efficiency of screening for serum vitamin A and the effectiveness of its oral supplementation in these patients remain unclear. Here, we report a case in which vitamin A and carotenoid deficiency after bariatric surgery were monitored by noninvasive quantitative fundus autofluorescence imaging.
Methods:
Case report.
Results:
A 62-year-old man presented with a history of progressive night blindness. He had duodenal switch surgery 13 years earlier. One year before the initial visit, he had begun oral supplements of vitamins A. Short wavelength fundus autofluorescence images acquired for quantitative fundus autofluorescence revealed an intensity that was lower than the healthy-eye range. Scotopic rod-specific full-field electroretinograms were extinguished. These findings were consistent with vitamin A deficiency. The patient was given intramuscular vitamin A injections. At follow-up, quantitative fundus autofluorescence improved, ERG increased to normal, but macular pigment was unchanged.
Conclusion:
Oral vitamin A supplementation may not be sufficient after mal-absorptive surgery and a quantitative and noninvasive short wavelength fundus autofluorescence imaging technique may be useful to monitor the status of vitamin A and the carotenoids comprising macular pigment in the retina.
