Optical Coherence Tomography-based flow measurements in retinal diseases

An extension to optical coherence tomography (OCT), an optical imaging technique that enables three-dimensional high resolution in-vivo imaging of the chorioretinal complex, is flow-OCT or OCT angiography (OCT-A). This enables the detection of blood flow in retinal and choroidal blood vessels. It may (partially) replace current invasive fluorescence angiography without the associated risks and with the benefit of providing depth information on the flow. Recently, this modality has become available on commercial OCT instruments, but the correlation between ophthalmic diseases and blood flow as imaged with flow-OCT is largely unknown. 

In this project, an experimental flow-OCT instrument will be used to explore the use of flow-OCT in four ophthalmic disorders: Retinal angiomatous proliferation, idiopathic macular telangiectasia, central serous retinopathy and juxtapapillary retinal hemangioblastoma. Patients with these diseases will be imaged by the flow-OCT instrument in a clinical setting. The natural history will be explored and/or the effects of (different) treatments for these diseases.