Abstract
Purpose :
To compare the images captured during patient self-operation of an Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) system developed for at-home use with images captured by a technician using a commercial OCT.
Methods :
Eyes with either intermediate (dry) or neovascular (wet) age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and visual acuity (VA) ≥ 20/400 were included. Demographic information, ophthalmic history, VA, and ergonomic measurements were collected. Subjects who met the inclusion criteria first underwent technician-administered commercial OCT (Zeiss Cirrus; Heidelberg Spectralis) imaging. Following a short tutorial, subjects captured analogous OCT images of their own AMD-affected eyes with the self-operated NOTAL-OCT V2.5 system. Self-images captured from the NOTAL-OCT V2.5 were compared to the reference images for presence of intra and/or subretinal fluid in the central 10 degrees of the macula, and sensitivity and specificity were calculated.
Results :
Twenty-one patients were enrolled (8 male; 13 female) with a mean age of 80 years (range, 66-91 years). Mean VA was 20/40 and median VA was 20/45 (range, 20/20-20/200). Thirty-seven eyes of 21 patients completed successful OCT imaging with the commercial OCT and the NOTAL-OCT V2.5. Of the 5 remaining eyes, 4 eyes were from 3 patients who could not self-operate the NOTAL-OCT V2.5, and 1 eye could not be imaged due to a NOTAL-OCT V2.5 system failure. The sensitivity and specificity of the NOTAL-OCT V2.5 for detecting fluid were 90% and 100%, respectively, when a human reader interpreted the images from both systems.
Conclusions :
The majority of patients in this study were able to successfully self-operate the NOTAL-OCT V2.5 system and obtain OCT images of their own AMD-affected eyes. Images captured using the patient self-operated NOTAL-OCT V2.5 demonstrated 90% sensitivity and 100% specificity to the technician-administered commercial OCT devices. This user-friendly OCT system designed for at-home, technician-free use has the potential to reach image sensitivity and specificity similar to a commercial OCT, and to support regularly scheduled standard-of-care clinical assessments and treatments by ophthalmic specialists.
This abstract was presented at the 2019 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Vancouver, Canada, April 28 - May 2, 2019.