Abstract
Recent advances in OCT technology now provide unprecedented near-histological views of retinal structure in the clinic. OCT instruments provide expanded knowledge about sites of disease action and a method for evaluation of treatments. Recently, OCT technology has been coupled with microperimetry utilizing the system's integrated live scanning laser ophthalmoscopic viewer (OCT/SLO - OPKO Health, Inc). With this instrument, fundus-related perimetry can be performed by tracking fundus landmarks and dynamically adjusting stimulus position to compensate for eye movements. The resulting OCT/SLO images and perimetry assessments permit precise structural/functional comparisons to be made.
Results from several of our early experiments with this system will be presented. Initially, we compared results from standard automated perimetry and microperimetry in normal subjects and found a high correlation when each measure was expressed in equivalent units. Next, structural and functional data from patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration were used to track changes which developed over the course of treatment. We found that certain structural alterations following treatment did not necessarily result in functional gains and that functional gains were the result of structural changes which were not always clinically apparent. Finally, we used this instrument in a novel way to study the oculomotor scanning patterns of individuals with macular scotomas as they relate to impaired face perception.
In conclusion, these preliminary findings demonstrate the potential of the combined OCT/SLO/Microperimeter to elucidate structural and functional relationships, especially in individuals with unsteady, non-foveal vision.