fluorescein sodium at a glance
Medicine class
Diagnostic fluorescent dye
Main roles
Retinal angiography, eye-surface staining, Goldmann tonometry and hard contact-lens fitting
Administration
Given into a vein or placed in the eye by a trained healthcare professional
After angiography
Skin and urine may temporarily turn yellow; dilating drops may blur vision
What is fluorescein sodium used for?
The selected products are licensed for diagnostic eye procedures.
Injected fluorescein shows retinal and choroidal blood vessels during ocular-fundus angiography.
Eye drops stain conjunctival or corneal damage and areas around foreign bodies.
Eye drops support Goldmann tonometry and hard contact-lens fitting.
How does fluorescein sodium work?
Fluorescein absorbs blue light and emits yellow-green fluorescence. In the bloodstream, this allows retinal and choroidal circulation to be photographed. On the eye surface, it collects in damaged areas and makes them visibly stained.
fluorescein sodium preparations and strengths
Eye drops
Route: Ophthalmic
Strengths: 1% w/v, 2%
Injection
Route: Parenteral
Strengths: 100 mg/mL
How to take fluorescein sodium
Fluorescein sodium is normally administered during an eye examination rather than taken at home.
Injection is given intravenously by a clinician experienced in fluorescein angiography.
Eye drops are placed into the eye by a doctor or eye specialist; excess dye may be rinsed away with sterile saline.
Remove soft contact lenses before eye drops and do not replace them until the effects have fully worn off.
Single-use eye-drop units and opened injection vials should be used immediately and discarded after use.
Do not drive or operate machinery until vision is clear, particularly if pupil-dilating drops were also used.
fluorescein sodium side effects
Common or expected effects
- Nausea, vomiting or abdominal discomfort after injection
- Fainting or dizziness
- Itching
- Pain or irritation if dye leaks around the injection site
- Temporary yellowish skin and bright-yellow urine after injection
- Temporary blurred vision after eye drops
Get urgent medical advice
- Anaphylaxis, including breathing difficulty, wheezing, throat or facial swelling, low blood pressure or collapse
- Severe respiratory reactions
- Severe chest pain, cardiac arrest, convulsion or loss of consciousness
- Allergic conjunctivitis, swelling around the eye, hives or widespread rash after eye drops
fluorescein sodium in pregnancy
Data for injected fluorescein are limited, so it is preferably avoided during pregnancy unless diagnostic need outweighs the uncertainty. Eye-drop safety has not been established; use only when the responsible clinician considers it essential.
fluorescein sodium while breastfeeding
Fluorescein enters breast milk. After intravenous angiography, the selected injection information advises temporarily stopping breastfeeding and expressing and discarding milk. Eye-drop safety during breastfeeding has not been established, so clinical assessment is required.
fluorescein sodium interactions
Relevant interactions mainly concern intravenous fluorescein.
Beta blockers, including beta-blocker eye drops
May increase the seriousness of anaphylaxis and reduce cardiovascular compensation and the effectiveness of adrenaline.
Probenecid and other organic-anion transport competitors
May alter the systemic handling of fluorescein.
Digoxin, quinidine and other narrow-therapeutic-index medicines
Fluorescein may interfere with blood or urine measurements and complicate therapeutic drug monitoring.
Common questions about fluorescein sodium
Answers are fully visible for fast scanning and source review.
Why is fluorescein sodium injected during an eye test?
It circulates through retinal and choroidal blood vessels and fluoresces under filtered light, allowing photographs to show abnormal, damaged or leaking vessels.
What do the eye drops show?
They highlight conjunctival scratches, corneal abrasions or ulcers and areas around foreign bodies. They also support tonometry and hard contact-lens fitting.
Sources
These sources were used to prepare and review this medicine page.
Prepared and reviewed by the iatroX editorial team.