Preface

One may ask why we need another book about optical coherence tomography (OCT). It's a fair question and I agree that there is already an abundance of literature on this topic. However, we must also consider that OCT has totally changed the paradigm of ophthalmology since its first appearance. The progress made in ophthalmic imaging technologies in the past two decades has changed both clinical and diagnostic approaches in ocular diseases while also improving the efficiency of eye care. The ability to visualize ocular structures in vivo and in real-time at the level of a micron scale and automatically quantify these structures provides clinicians with important information about the process of clinical decisions. Among these technological improvements, OCT has a leading role. This technology has been shown to provide reproducible quantification of ocular structures, allowing precise detection of structural damage, monitoring of disease progression, and assessment of the effectiveness of treatment in several retinal pathologies.

Since its first appearance in clinical practice, OCT has evolved substantially with enhancements both in imaging methods and image analysis. These improvements made in the technology have resulted in increased scanning speed, axial and transverse resolution, and more effective use of the OCT technology as a component of multimodal imaging tools. At the same time, the parallel evolution in novel algorithms makes it possible to efficiently analyze more sophisticated data about several ocular diseases from glaucoma disease to retinal and choroidal involvement.

OCT provides high-resolution cross-sectional images of areas of interest using the principle of low-coherence interferometry. The current commercially available generation, SD-OCT, projects a near-infrared broad-bandwidth light to the eye and the frequency information of the back reflected light is used to generate an image. OCT technology is still evolving and it has been shown to be capable of scanning speeds of up to 20.8 million axial scans/second in nonophthalmic applications. Also, the introduction of any OCT improvements like angioOCT techniques will provide us with a better understanding of some pathophysiological behaviors of complicated retinal disease. This represents a new step in understanding the best clinical and surgical approach for several ocular diseases, making us more efficient in terms of prevention and treatment.

This book discusses new developments in OCT technology and its clinical application. It describes some of the most recent advances in OCT technology and techniques for choroidal and retinal diseases. It highlights emerging innovations such as OCT application in the study of macular disease and inherited retinal dystrophy and OCT findings in rare cases such as retinopathy of prematurity. Also, the book provides new insight into the use of OCT in optic nerve diseases, from angioOCT applications for glaucoma and neuro-ophthalmology to a new glance at OCT and glaucoma. Finally, the book discusses miscellaneous uses of OCT.

The applications of these novel OCT systems and techniques will allow closer monitoring of chorioretinal diseases and treatment response, more robust analysis in basic science research, and further insights into surgical management. In addition, these innovations, which optimize visualization of the choroid and retina, offer a promising future for advancing our understanding of the pathophysiology of chorioretinal diseases.
