Foveal densitometry as a diagnostic technique in Stargardt's disease.

Foveal densitometry was performed in eight patients with Stargardt's disease. Their visual acuities were between 20/200 and 20/16. All eight had low two-way densities, ranging from 0.07 to less than or equal to 0.01 (mean value for a control group, 0.32 +/- 0.03). Two patients had poor visual acuities combined with ophthalmoscopically normal maculas. Because two-way densities were very low in these patients, ranging between 0.04 and less than or equal to 0.01, foveal densitometry may be a useful diagnostic technique in the diagnosis of Stargardt's disease. Foveal densitometry was also performed in two patients with fundus flavimaculatus and good visual acuities for the sake of comparison. Two-way densities were between 0.09 and 0.24. One patient with cone dystrophy and poor visual acuity had low two-way densities (0.02 bilaterally). Three patients with vitelliform dystrophy and vitelliform cysts on ophthalmoscopy had two-way densities between 0.07 and 0.14 and increased half-times of regeneration (between 90 and 126 seconds). One patient with a vitelliform cyst in one eye showed only fine pigmentations in the other eye, which had a normal two-way density (0.32).