Video Rate OCT for Evaluating Glaucoma

描述(由申请人提供)： 青光眼是全球第二大致盲原因。在美国，大约有250万美国人受到这种潜在的致盲眼病的影响。光学相干断层成像是唯一一种能够对人类视网膜进行高分辨率横断面成像的非侵入性成像技术。由于青光眼会在最初视力丧失之前导致视网膜神经纤维层变薄，光学相干断层摄影术(可以测量神经纤维层厚度)可以在任何永久性视力丧失之前及早发现青光眼。这种早期检测将使早期治疗成为可能，以防止永久性视力丧失。由于青光眼还会在进一步丧失视力之前导致进行性神经纤维层变薄，光学相干断层扫描可以在进一步永久性丧失视力之前更早地检测到青光眼疾病的进展，从而能够进行更积极的预防性治疗。目前的临床技术只能在多达一半的视网膜神经节细胞永久性丧失后才能诊断为青光眼视力丧失。 本研究的总体目标是A)开发一种视频率光学相干层析成像(OCT)系统，用于对人类视网膜和视网膜神经纤维层(RNFL)进行三维高分辨率成像，B)确定用视频率OCT测量正常人和青光眼患者体内视网膜神经纤维层厚度的分辨率和重复性，C)将活体人类OCT图像与同眼的组织学相关联。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide. In the United States, approximately 2.5 million Americans are affected by this potentially blinding eye disease. Optical coherence tomography is the only non-invasive imaging technique allowing high-resolution cross-sectional imaging of the human retina. Since glaucoma causes thinning of the retinal nerve fiber layer prior to initial loss of vision, optical coherence tomograhy (which can measure the nerve fiber layer thickness) could enable early detection of glaucoma prior to any permanent loss of vision. This earlier detection would enable earlier treatment to prevent permanent loss of vision. Since glaucoma also causes progressive nerve fiber layer thinning prior to further loss of vision, optical coherence tomography could enable earlier detection of glaucomatous disease progression prior to further permanent loss of vision, enabling more aggressive preventive treatment. Current clinical techniques only allow diagnosis of glaucomatous loss of vision after up to half of the retinal ganglion cells are permanently lost. The overall goal of this research is A) to develop a video rate Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) system for 3 dimensional high resolution imaging of the human retina and the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL), B) to determine the resolution and reproducibility of in vivo retinal nerve fiber layer thickness determination with video rate OCT in normal and glaucoma subjects, C) to correlate in vivo human OCT images with histology of the same eye.