Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography of Dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Abstract

Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) can be used to visualize alterations in the choriocapillaris of patients with dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD). These changes seem to be present during all stages of the disease. Earlier stages are associated with patchy thinning of the choriocapillaris, while geographic atrophy is associated with loss of choriocapillaris lying under the area of geographic atrophy and asymmetric alteration of choriocapillaris at the margins of the geographic atrophy. The use of high-speed, long-wave-length swept-source OCT for angiography, with its better penetration into the choroid and high acquisition speeds, enable OCTA with scaled slowest detectable flow and fastest distinguishable flow. This will enable us to better investigate choriocapillaris changes in patients with dry AMD. The ability to image the choriocapillaris structure and flow impairments may be useful in the future for detecting and monitoring the progression of dry AMD and for monitoring treatment responses in clinical trials to therapies that target disease progression in dry AMD.