Retinal blood flow in senile macular degeneration. A Blue Field study [STUDIO DEL MICROCIRCOLO RETINICO CON LA TECNICA DEL BLUE FIELD IN PAZIENTI AFFETTI DA DEGENERAZIONE MACULARE SENILE]

The technique of the "Blue Field" simulation is based on an endo-optic phenomenon obtained by means of gazing a dark-blue and uniform light, of a 430 nanometers wave lenght. This phenomenon is due to the presence, in the retinal capillaries of 7-10 micrometers diameter, of red blood cells with some leucocytes among them, while the red blood cells do not allow the light to reach the retinal photoreceptors, the leucocytes are crossed by it, so being perceived as shining bodies.In order to obtain that, the patient is request to compare and balance the number of the perceived leucocytes,their velocity and rythm, by means of simulating with the help of a computer the presence of the leucocytes in a video display. This procedure is repeated five times.The Authors report the results obtained by using this technique in a group of 10 patients suffering from senile macular degeneration in prediskiform stage.In this way we pointed out that the circulation in the macular retinal capillaries in this patients is changed, in relation to the alterations of the visus from near.