Clinical applications of optical coherence tomography in the posterior pole: the 2011 José Manuel Espino Lecture – Part II

J Fernando Arevalo,^1,2 Andres F Lasave,³ Juan D Arias,³ Martin A Serrano,³ Fernando A Arevalo<sup>3

1</sup>Retina Division, Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; ²Vitreoretinal Division, King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; ³Retina and Vitreous Service, Clinica Oftalmologica Centro Caracas, Caracas, Venezuela

Abstract: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a high-resolution, cross-sectional imaging technique that allows detailed assessment of retinal thickness and morphologic evaluation of the retinal layers. This technology has developed quickly over the past two decades. OCT imaging has rapidly been integrated into routine ophthalmic clinical practice and trials. It has complemented fluorescein angiography in many instances, especially in the diagnosis and management of retinal disorders, including diabetic macular edema and age-related macular degeneration. With OCT, the exact localization of pathologic features can be visualized in segmentation maps of the retina, and this has allowed OCT to be used to evaluate specific features that may serve as predictive factors in the prognosis and follow up of these pathologies. Therefore, it has become an important clinical and research tool for the diagnosis, follow up, treatment, and assessment of new treatment modalities for all diseases that affect the posterior pole of the eye.

Keywords: AMD, DME, retinal diseases, spectral domain