If your doctor finds an abnormality and suspects the wet form of macular degeneration (abnormal blood vessels), a special test called fluorescein angiography will be done. To do the test, dye is injected into a vein in the arm. The dye travels through the body including the eyes. With a special camera (not X-ray), a series of photographs of the retina is taken as the dye passes through it.

The photographs show what changes have occurred in the retina and where those changes are located. Fluorescein angiography is necessary if the doctor thinks there is a chance that the patient could benefit from laser treatment. The photographs provide a kind of map that the doctor uses during laser treatment. Fluorescein angiography is also usually done a few weeks following laser treatment to be sure that the laser has destroyed the abnormal blood vessels.