Role of optical coherence tomography in the evaluation of age-related macular degeneration

INTRODUCTION Fourier spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) systems provide clinicians with crosssectional retinal images that closely resemble their histological counterparts. It has emerged as the most important ancillary examination for the evaluation and management of all types of age-related macular degeneration. In patients with dry macular degeneration, OCT is able to precisely and longitudinally track changes in drusen volume, drusen morphology, and geographic atrophy. Furthermore, OCT can either directly illustrate choroidal neovascularization or reveal subretinal fl uid, cystoid macular edema, and other fi ne ultra-structural changes which implicitly suggest a transformation to wet macular degeneration. After initiation of pharmacological therapy, determination of the presence of subretinal fl uid, intraretinal fl uid or their combination and measurement of a change in fl uid volume by OCT has become the most crucial feature in deciding whether to pursue additional treatment.