Fluorescein angiography and fluorophotometry of the iris in pseudoexfoliation of the lens capsule.

Abstract

Fluorescein iris angiography and fluorophotometry were performed on a series of 9 patients with bilateral and 11 with unilateral pseudoexfoliation, 12 bilateral aphakes with pseudoexfoliation, and 7 unilateral aphakes with bilateral pseudoexfoliation. Angiography showed a loss of radial iris vessels, a heavy leak of fluorescein from the pupil margin, progressive neovascularisation of the outer 2/3 of the iris, and less constantly a network of fine new vessels in the inner 1/3 of the iris stroma. These changes were absent in unaffected eyes. After cataract extraction there seemed to be a definite lessening of fluorescein leak from the pupil margin. Fluorophotometry showed a much higher fluorescein concentration at the anterior focus in eyes with pseudoexfoliation than in normal controls or in fellow unaffected eyes. There was a much smaller rise in fluorescein concentration at the posterior focus in a minority of affected eyes. The ranges of fluorescein concentrations at the anterior focus in both phakic and aphakic patients with bilateral pseudoexfoliation did not differ significantly. The concentration at the anterior focus of unilateral aphakes with bilateral pseudoexfoliation was lower than in the fellow phakic eye. These findings suggest that the neovascular reaction seen in pseudoexfoliation is associated with patchy occlusion of the normal iris vasculature, occurs in the anterior segment of the eye, and does not continue to progress after removal of the lens.