**1. Introduction**

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a relatively new noninvasive optical imaging method that has revolutionized the way we see the retina. It uses near-infrared light in or‐ der to deliver high-resolution cross-sectional images of the macula that are very similar to the histopathological specimens. However, the OCT images are not the direct depiction of the anatomical structures, but they represent the consequence of the optical properties of the tissues being scanned [1]. The retinal microarchitecture can be visualized as cross-sec‐ tional or tomographic volumetric data. The OCT has been used increasingly over the past several years to diagnose and monitor a variety of retinal diseases that affect the macula. Age – related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is one of the retinal diseases that benefited the most from the development of OCT techniques. In the exudative form of the disease, OCT identifies intraretinal fluid and outlines the choroidal neovascularization. However, it is not able to resolve the internal structure of the fibro-vascular membranes, as it cannot distinguish very clearly between their various components: new vessels, fibrous tissue, blood, dense exudates. OCT is extremely useful in the management and monitoring of wet AMD: it allows early diagnosis and helps in the decision-making process of retreat‐ ment with anti-VEGF agents [2]. OCT became an indispensable tool in the diagnosis of ne‐ ovascular recurrences by identifying fluid under or in the retina [3]. Newer spectral domain OCT devices permit the detailed description of drusens in early AMD that allows the refined phenotyping of the disease [2]. By allowing detailed description of various le‐ sions in AMD, OCT is bringing significant contributions for progressing in the under‐ standing of AMD pathogenesis.

© 2013 Ţălu; licensee InTech. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. © 2013 The Author(s). Licensee InTech. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
