Heidelberg Spectralis OCT

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of our application is to obtain a Heidelberg Spectralis OCT instrument for research at Columbia University's Harkness Eye Institute. The many faculty members here who are conducting research on retinal degenerative disorders rely on the latest imaging capabilities, image analysis and clinical staging to correlate with genetic analyses. The users specified on this application have all headed projects that have benefited many individuals suffering from eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), Stargardt disease, retinitis pigmentosa and glaucoma. Their work will aid in our understanding of these diseases and improve the treatment options that are available to patients living with these conditions. The ability of the Spectralis OCT to provide faster, higher resolution, multimodal visualization of the retinal layers can assist all of these projects while providing daily improvement in the management of patient care at the Eye Institute. Another advantage of the Spectralis system is that there is a dedicated, second eye tracking device which ensures compensation for eye movement and thus that the acquired images are exactly in register with the spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) scans. For example, the location of autofluorescence abnormalities can be precisely correlated with structural changes seen on SD-OCT. This capability is critical for multimodal study of retinal disease. This also enables follow-up examinations to be scanned in exactly the same location for reliable measurement of disease progression. This is not possible with the separate imaging modalities currently in use. The improved technology will be used by Dr. Smith in conjunction with the Department of Biomedical Engineering to improve their existing image analysis software, which quantifies drusen and geographic atrophy in color fundus, infrared, and autofluorescence images. Dr. Allikmets, who is examining the genetics of AMD, can use the instrument to correlate his genetic findings with the clinical stage of the disease. Similar uses will be made in Dr. Sparrow's research on Stargardt disease, Dr. Tsang's research on retinitis pigmentosa and Dr. Hood's work on glaucoma. The Eye Institute already has the capability of maintaining and running the instrument, with staff that are fully capable of using the Spectralis, and a commitment to allocate its usage fairly among all the research projects being conducted at Columbia. Public Health Relevance: Since age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in the United States, improvement in treatment options and preventive care resulting from improved understanding of the disease would have a large impact on public health. Research done at the Columbia University Harkness Eye Institute on AMD, as well as other eye diseases, would greatly benefit from the technology of the Spectralis, a new imaging instrument with faster image acquisition and improved retinal visualization.