Capillary blood flow velocity measurements in cystoid macular edema with the scanning laser ophthalmoscope

Using a scanning laser ophthalmoscope, we calculated the velocity of retinal blood flow in a juxtafoveolar capillary during the course of cystoid macular edema after partial central retinal vein occlusion in a 53-year-old woman. The mean velocity of the fluorescent dots in the macular capillary of the right eye with cystoid macular edema was 1.59 ± 0.08 mm/sec at the initial examination. Despite the systemic administration of indomethacin (75 mg/day for three weeks), best-corrected visual acuity decreased from 20/30 to 20/70, and the velocity became 0.82 ± 0.13 mm/sec. Prednisolone (30 mg/day orally for one week) improved the cystoid macular edema, and the velocity was 0.96 ± 0.06 mm/sec 12 days after initiation of the drug. The velocity gradually improved; one year later it was 1.65 ± 0.17 mm/sec and visual acuity was 20/22. Velocity in the left eye, which did not have cystoid macular edema, was 2.16 ± 0.16 mm/sec. Thus, scanning laser ophthalmoscopy proved useful for measuring the velocity of retinal blood flow.