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Eyes mCNV Diagnosis
Diagnosis
Diagnosing mCNV

Diagnosis

In a person presenting with sudden loss of central vision, the doctor will consider mCNV and perform various tests to assess your vision and look for changes in the back of your eye.1 

These are the same tests used to identify many macular diseases that cause oedema, but your specialist will then be looking for slightly different signs to decipher the cause.1 In mCNV, your specialist should be able to identify new blood vessel formation in the area. 

Take a look at the causes of mCNV section to find out why macular oedema is a sign of mCNV. 

Photo of someone with their head rested in the head rest of an autorefractor and an ophthalmologist sat opposite them, looking into the eyepiece. Both people are smiling.

Diagnostic imaging1-7

  • Fundus evaluation – this is a common exam used to examine the structures in the back of the eye using an ophthalmoscope.
  • Optical coherence tomography (OCT) – this is an imaging technique that takes cross-sectional images of your retina, allowing specialists to gain a more detailed view of your eye.
  • Other imaging tests can be used that involve injecting a dye into your vein to help highlight the blood vessels in your eye. This includes
    • Fluorescein angiography
    • Indocyanine green angiography (ICGA)

Other tests

  • Visual acuity tests – these are tests that are part of a routine eye examination to test your vision and typically involve reading a wall chart of letters or symbols.
  • Amsler test – in this test, you will look at a square-shaped grid called an Amsler grid to determine if your vision is distorted.8

Your specialist will also evaluate your own personal assessment of how your vision has changed.

References

  1. National Eye Institute. Macular Edema. Available at: https://www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/eye-conditions-and-diseases/macular-edema. Last accessed April 2025.
  2. Hobbs SD, Tripathy K, Pierce K. Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD). In: StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; August 11, 2024. https://www.aao.org/eyenet/article/myopic-choroidal-neovascularization. Last accessed May 2025.
  3. Cleveland Clinic. Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT). Available at: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diagnostics/optical-coherence-tomography-oct. Last accessed May 2025.
  4. Cleveland Clinic. Retinal Vein Occlusion (RVO). Available at: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/14206-retinal-vein-occlusion-rvo. Last accessed May 2025.
  5. Lai TY, Cheung CM. MYOPIC CHOROIDAL NEOVASCULARIZATION: Diagnosis and Treatment. Retina. 2016;36(9):1614-1621.
  6. WebMD. Diagnosing Diabetic Macular Edema. Available at: https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/diabetic-macular-edema-diagnosis. Last accessed May 2025.
  7. Mayo Clinic. Wet macular degeneration. Available at: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/wet-macular-degeneration/symptoms-causes/syc-20351107. Last accessed April 2025.
  8. Tripathy K, Salini B. Amsler Grid. In: StatPearls. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; August 25, 2023.