The Role of Optical Coherence Tomography in the Diagnosis of Early Age-related Maculopathy

Abstract

There has been increasing interest in improving imaging technologies to identify and grade early age-related maculopathy (ARM). Recently, advances in optical coherence tomography (OCT) has allowed a virtual biopsy of the retina and identification of different types of drusen in relation to early ARM. Several investigators have improved our understanding of both the qualitative and quantitative analyses of drusen, the clinical hallmark of ARM. The purpose of this article is to critically review the current literature in OCT in the evaluation of early ARM. Although seemingly useful and ideal, the current analysis of the retina using OCT is highly complex and lacking. It is currently too premature to use OCT as a grading tool for early ARM. However, the authors are hopeful that the rapid progress in this field will enable the use of an OCT-defined outcome measure in early ARM clinical trials in the foreseeable future.