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Updated: Dec 6, 2025
Quantitative Fundus Autofluorescence for the Evaluation of Retinal Diseases
Published on: March 11, 2016
Clinical application of ultra-widefield fundus autofluorescence
1Department of Ophthalmology of Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, No238, Jiefang Road, Wuhan, 430060, Hubei, China.
Purpose:
To review the basic principles of ultra-widefield fundus autofluorescence (UWF-FAF) and discuss its clinical application for a variety of retinal and choroidal disorders.
Methods:
A systematic review of the PubMed database was performed using the search terms "ultra-widefield," "autofluorescence," "retinal disease" and "choroidal disease."
Results:
UWF-FAF imaging is a recently developed noninvasive retinal imaging modality with a wide imaging range that can locate peripheral fundus lesions that traditional fundus autofluorescence cannot. Multiple commercially available ultra-widefield imaging systems, including Heidelberg Spectralis and Optomap Ultra-Widefield systems, are available to the clinician. Imaging by UWF-FAF is more comprehensive; it can reflect the content and distribution of the predominant ocular fluorophore in retinal pigment epithelial cells and evaluate the metabolic status of RPE of various retinal and choroidal disorders.
Conclusion:
UWF-FAF can detect abnormalities that traditional fundus autofluorescence cannot; therefore, it can be used to better elucidate disease pathogenesis, analyze genotype-phenotype correlations, diagnose and monitor disease.
