Abstract
Purpose: :
To evaluate the feasibility of adaptive optics - optical coherence tomography (AO-OCT) in delineating the microscopic retinal morphological changes at the fovea and perifoveal area in eyes with idiopathic epiretinal membrane (ERM).
Methods: :
An AO-OCT retinal imaging system developed at our institution was employed for imaging retinae with idiopathic epiretinal membrane confirmed both clinically and on high-resolution FD-OCT. The AO-OCT system used in this study offers isotropic axial and lateral resolution of 3.5 µm for detailed in-vivo retinal imaging. We imaged 8 eyes of 5 patients, with visual acuity ranging from 20/20 to 20/40.
Results: :
Microscopic changes in retinal morphology associated with idiopathic epiretinal membrane could be visualized using our AO-OCT retinal imaging system. As illustrated below from one of the eyes with ERM leading to lamellar hole formation, AO-OCT imaging resulted in improved visualization of splitting in the outer plexiform layer and the integrity of the photoreceptor inner and outer segment junction.
Conclusions: :
AO -OCT is a novel imaging technique with increased axial and lateral resolution permitting improved visualization of the retinal layers and the associated morphologic changes.
Keywords: imaging/image analysis: clinical • retina