Question:
My wife has been told she has cataracts and will need them repair via surgery. As the surgery dates approach, they have scheduled her for an 'angiogram' of her eyes. I'm familiar with the heart condition type of angiogram but what is the difference with this procedure relating to the eyes and basically how is it performed?
Answer:
An angiogram of the eye is an excellent method of studying the health of the back of the eye (retina). It is a test that is performed very frequently in ophthalmology as part of the care for retinal disorders, but performing it to qualify patient for cataract surgery is not common, unless there is some additional retinal disorder. I suggest you ask your ophthalmologist why he feels a pre-op angiogram is needed.
This kind of angiogram of the eye differs from an angiogram of the heart in many ways and is much easier and much safer. This angiogram involves injecting a dye in a vein in the arm and taking photographs of the inside of the eye as the dye passes through the eye. Many other types of angiograms involve injecting a similar dye into an artery (not a vein) and taking X rays (not photographs) of the target organ.
Answered by: Wayne Bizer, MD
Categories: Eye Conditions,
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