Fundus Autofluorescence as a Diagnostic Tool for Retinal Emboli Classification: A Case Series

Authors

  • Nicole Auchter Riese New Jersey Department of Veterans Affairs
  • Yelena Smart New Jersey VA Health Care System
  • Tara Foltz Lexington VA Health Care System
  • Drew Anderson Lexington VA Health Care System

Abstract

Fundus autofluorescence (FAF) is a relatively new imaging technique typically obtained with an enhanced fundus camera or scanning laser ophthalmoscope that is becoming more widely utilized in optometric practices. The images obtained can provide additional diagnostic information for a wide variety of retinal pathology. This case series highlights the benefit of using FAF to visualize retinal emboli. Specifically, the cases demonstrate how this technology can help identify embolus composition, allow better visualization of an embolus within the optic nerve, and differentiate an embolus from adjacent vascular sheathing.

Author Biographies

Nicole Auchter Riese, New Jersey Department of Veterans Affairs

Nicole Auchter Riese, OD, FAAO, graduated with high honors with a Doctor of Optometry degree from Indiana University in May 2015. She subsequently completed a primary care optometric residency at the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Administration Medical Center in 2016. The residency encompassed rotations in primary care, ocular disease, low vision and traumatic brain injury. She currently works as a staff optometrist for the New Jersey Department of Veterans Affairs.

Yelena Smart, New Jersey VA Health Care System

Yelena Smart, OD graduated with a Doctor of Optometry degree from the State University of New York College of Optometry in May 2011.  Post-graduation, she completed a residency in primary care and ocular disease at the Department of Veterans Affairs in New Jersey.  She worked privately in a busy, multi-disciplinary ophthalmology practice as well as a private optometry practice in New York City prior to becoming a staff physician at the New Jersey Department of Veterans Affairs in 2015, where she currently practices.

Tara Foltz, Lexington VA Health Care System

Tara Foltz, OD, received her Doctor of Optometry degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry in May 2006. She then completed a residency in Geriatric Optometry and Low Vision Rehabilitation at the Birmingham Veterans Affairs Medical Center in 2007. After several years in private practice, she has been on staff at the Lexington Veterans Affairs Health Care System as an attending optometrist since 2010 and served as the Chief of Optometry since 2013.

Drew Anderson, Lexington VA Health Care System

Drew Anderson, OD graduated with a Doctor of Optometry degree from Pacific University in May 2012. He went on to complete a primary care residency at the Veterans Affairs Health Care System in Lexington, Kentucky in 2013. He continues to work as a staff optometrist for the Lexington Veterans Affairs Health Care System.

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Published

2023-05-29

How to Cite

Riese, N. A., Smart, Y., Foltz, T., & Anderson, D. (2023). Fundus Autofluorescence as a Diagnostic Tool for Retinal Emboli Classification: A Case Series. Canadian Journal of Optometry, 85(2), 9–14. Retrieved from https://openjournals.uwaterloo.ca/index.php/cjo/article/view/4710

Issue

Vol. 85 No. 2 (2023): CJO Summer 2023

Section

Original Research

License

Copyright (c) 2023 Nicole Auchter Riese, Yelena Smart, Tara Foltz, Drew Anderson

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.