Abstract
Purpose: :
Using serial Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) to evaluate the day–to–day variability of retinal thickness and macular edema in three conditions: age–related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic macular edema (DME), and cystoid macular edema (CME).
Methods: :
Using images generated by OCT–3, fifteen patients (five with each condition of DME, CME, AMD) were evaluated on five different days. Each patient had a central retinal thickness of greater than 275 µm on the day of entry into this study. Data was collected and analyzed looking for stability or variability of OCT measurements.
Results: :
Some patients experienced impressive variability of retinal thickness despite lack of treatment. Statistical analysis of OCT findings will be presented on individual patients, with trends established by disease entity.
Conclusions: :
OCT is used to make important clinical judgments concerning type of treatment to offer, and when to repeat treatment, in age–related macular degeneration, diabetic macular edema, and cystoid macular edema. The use of OCT to make these decisions may be problematic in certain individuals who have a significant variability of retinal thickness.
Keywords: age-related macular degeneration • diabetic retinopathy