Visible-light optical coherence tomography: seeing retinal functions and beyond (Conference Presentation)

Abstract

The prevalence of major ophthalmic disorders such as glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and diabetic retinopathy are also expected to increase as the elderly populations of Europe, China and the U.S. grow, fueling new demand for improved diagnostic and surgical systems to help physicians manage and treat these diseases. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) devices currently represent the gold standard for ophthalmic diagnostics, providing high-resolution imaging and proven clinical benefit in improving the patient’s quality of life. Despite the success of OCT, however, the full potential of this imaging modality has yet to be realized. While other imaging methods such as MRI and PET have been revolutionized with the development of functional imaging (e.g. fMRI), functional OCT remains an emerging technology. Visible-light OCT (Vis-OCT) represents a cutting-edge functional OCT imaging technique that aims to dramatically improve the diagnostic capabilities and clinical benefit of OCT in ophthalmology. Vis-OCT is currently the only OCT technology capable of combining both high-resolution structural imaging (~ 1 µm) with precise measurements of metabolic activity, such as retinal oxygen saturation and retinal blood flow. Using dual band scanning with visible light and NIR light wavelengths, Vis-OCT represents a next generation functional OCT tool with the potential to fundamentally change how ophthalmologist use OCT in the diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of numerous major ocular disorders.