# What is Eye Angiography?

Source page: https://www.kudretgozistanbul.com/en/blog/eye-diseases/what-is-eye-angiography

**Author:** Kudret Eye İstanbul | **Medical Approval:** Op. Dr. Mehmet Ali Özdil | **Date:** 2026-09-04

> **Summary:** Eye angiography photographs the retinal and choroidal vessels after they have been stained, using fluorescein fundus angiography (FFA) or indocyanine green angiography (ICG), to examine circulation disorders at the back of the eye. It is painless, needs no anaesthesia or admission, takes approximately ten to twenty minutes and is used to diagnose and plan treatment for conditions such as diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration.

## Quick Facts
- **Duration:** Approximately ten to twenty minutes
- **Anaesthesia:** None; the patient is not put to sleep and no local anaesthetic is applied
- **Admission:** Not needed
- **Procedure:** Pupil-dilating drops, dye given through a line in the arm, photographs of the back of the eye
- **Common after-effects:** Temporary nausea and a change in the colour of urine from the fluorescein dye

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## What is Eye Angiography?
The eye has a front, a middle and a back section. Eye angiography stains the retinal and choroidal vessels and photographs them (FFA or ICG) so that circulation disorders in the posterior segment can be examined in detail. It reveals leaks, breaks and blockages in the vessels, bleeding areas, tumours and infections within the eye, and is used to plan laser treatment and to identify and treat many age-related conditions.

Conditions that can be identified from the images:
- Diabetic retinopathy
- Age-related macular degeneration
- Retinal vein and artery occlusion
- Central serous chorioretinopathy
- Tumours of the eye
- Uveitis
- Conditions of the retina

## When is Eye Angiography Carried Out?
- People with a tumour or inflammation of the eye (uveitis)
- Patients with diabetes, including monitoring, because diabetes can damage the retinal vessels
- Macular oedema caused by diabetes or retinal vein occlusion
- Identifying vascular occlusion in the eye
- Central serous chorioretinopathy (fluid build-up in the eye)
- Identifying and treating age-related macular degeneration
- Identifying bleeding in the eye
- Planning laser treatment of the retina

## How is Eye Angiography Carried Out?
- A special drop dilates the pupil; this is painless and quick.
- A line is opened in the arm and fluorescein is given so that the vessels change colour and stand out; a clear map of the vascular system emerges.
- The dilated pupils are examined with a special machine that uses light and a lens to photograph the back of the eye through the pupil.
- No needle, cutting instrument or anything else enters the eye; no pain, soreness or discomfort is felt.
- The procedure takes approximately ten to twenty minutes.

## Risks of Eye Angiography
- Risks are almost non-existent and the method is extremely reliable.
- The most common side effects afterwards are nausea and a change in urine colour from the dye; both are temporary and normal life can continue.
- The effect of the pupil-dilating drops passes in time.
- A serious allergic reaction to the dye can occur, although very rarely; any history of allergy should be reported to the doctor before the procedure.