gms | German Medical Science

25th Annual Meeting of the German Retina Society

German Retina Society

01.06. - 02.06.2012, Münster

Imaging autofluorescent particels within drusen using structured illumination

Meeting Abstract

  • Thomas Ach - Universitäts-Augenklinik Heidelberg
  • S. Rossberger - Universitäts-Augenklinik Heidelberg; Universität Heidelberg, Kirchhoff Institut für Physik
  • G. Best - Universitäts-Augenklinik Heidelberg; Universität Heidelberg, Kirchhoff Institut für Physik
  • C. Cremer - Universität Heidelberg, Kirchhoff Institut für Physik; Universität Mainz, Institut für Molekulare Biologie
  • S. Dithmar - Universitäts-Augenklinik Heidelberg

German Retina Society. 25th Annual Conference of the German Retina Society. Münster, 01.-02.06.2012. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2012. Doc12rg44

doi: 10.3205/12rg44, urn:nbn:de:0183-12rg443

This is the English version of the article.
The German version can be found at: http://www.egms.de/de/meetings/rg2012/12rg44.shtml

Published: May 30, 2012

© 2012 Ach et al.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/deed.en). You are free: to Share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work, provided the original author and source are credited.


Outline

Text

Background: There are only few studies available reporting of origin, formation and number of autofluorescent particels wtihin drusen. Whether these particels might also play a role in drusen biogenesis is still unclear. Aim of this study was a detailed analysis of autofluorescent particels within drusen using structured illumination, a microscopic method which provides a significant improvement in lateral resolution compard to conventional techniques.

Methods: Eight histological RPE sections of eight donor eyes (Age: 76+/- 4 years) were examined using structured illumination (wavelengths: 488 and 568 nm). Drusen were analyzed regarding shape and size. Autofluorescent particels within drusen were analyzed regarding size, shape, spectral properties, and localization within the drusen.

Results: In the eight sections, a total of 441 drusen were found (90.1% smaller than 63 µm; mean size: 35.65 µm ± 2.38 µm). In 101 drusen (22.9%) 190 autofluorescent particels (1 to 11 particels/druse) were analyzed. Particels revealed same size and spectral properties than lipofuscin granules in RPE cells. Particels were mostly found in the lower 2/3 of the drusen.

Conclusions: With structured illumination more autofluorescent particels within drusen can be detected than with conventionally used fluorescence microscopy. Shape and spectral properties of these particels lead to the assumption that these particels origniate from overlaying RPE cells and contribute to drusen formation.