Figure 5.

Scheme illustrating changes in the RPE and photoreceptor cells deduced by correlating information obtained by multi-modal imaging of RP patients. Bone spicule pigment in the fundus periphery (black) is populated by translocated RPE cells. The AF ring (1) is visible in both SW-AF and NIR-AF images and the outer border of the ring in NIR-AF and SW-AF images exhibits good correspondence. Outside the ring, changes (e.g. visibility of choroidal vessel) in the NIR-R, NIR-AF and SW-AF images are indicative of reduced RPE pigmentation in the original RPE monolayer (2). Reduced melanin pigmentation in the cells progresses (3) with distance from the AF ring (1). The photoreceptor ellipsoid zone (EZ) visible in SD-OCT images, terminates at the outer border of the AF ring thus creating a zone of EZ absence (5). With greater eccentricity (6) SD-OCT imaging reveals RPE displacement and progressive retinal delamination.