Landmarks in the historical development of fluorescein angiography.

In 1961 two medical students from Indiana, H.R. Novotny and D.L. Alvis, authored a paper which described retinal angiography techniques still in use today. 1 The utilization of a fundus camera equipped with an exciter filter, barrier filter, and electronic flash to sequentially document the retinal blood flow following a sodium fluorescein injection was outlined in their landmark article. The complete story behind the implementation of this procedure began many years prior to this seminal report, however. The fluorescein angiography procedure is a culmination of the evolution of retinal imaging intersecting with the application of sodium fluorescein to ophthalmology. This paper reviews published landmarks in the historical development of fluorescein angiography by examining the evolution of retinal photography, the historical use of dyes to view the retina, and important work contemporaneous with Novotny and Alvis. It traces the history of the fluorescein angiography procedure through selected quotes from the publications of significant contributors. A list of resources is included. The reader is encouraged to further explore the historical record. Beginnings