Lab techniques that may aid in the diagnosis of autoimmune retinopathy include immunohistochemistry (IHC), Western blot, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). 

Lab techniques that may aid in the diagnosis of autoimmune retinopathy include immunohistochemistry (IHC), Western blot, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). 

These tests may detect the circulating antirational antibodies, with each having their own advantages and disadvantages.

In IHC, patient’s serum is incubated with section of normal retina.  A secondary antibody is then used to detect the binding of the patient serum to normal retina section.  Once disadvantage of this method is that, it is able to detect the total antirational antibody level in the patient’s serum but it can’t detect antibodies against specific proteins.  

In Western blot, electrophoresis is used to separate retinal extract or pure retinal proteins on a membrane.  The membrane is incubated with patient’s serum and the binding of the patient’s serum to the proteins on the membrane is detected by using a secondary antibody.  When a band is evident on a Western blot against the retinal extract suggesting antibodies against a specific protein, then a confirmatory blot needs to be performed using that specific protein.

ELISA involves small wells that are coated with a specific protein, then patient’s serum is added followed by a secondary antibody, which detects binding.  It is similar to IHC and Western blot.   ^[1]