RPE-normalized RNFL attenuation coefficient maps derived from volumetric OCT imaging for glaucoma assessment

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Medical Imaging
• Biomedical Optics

Background:

• Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness.
• Early detection and monitoring of glaucoma are crucial for preserving vision.
• Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a key technology for imaging the retina.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate spatial retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) attenuation coefficient maps.
• To quantitatively compare RNFL attenuation coefficients between healthy and glaucomatous eyes.
• To assess the potential of RNFL attenuation maps as a diagnostic tool for glaucoma.

Main Methods:

• Acquired peripapillary volumetric OCT images from healthy and glaucomatous eyes.
• Calculated RNFL attenuation coefficients using the retinal pigment epithelium as a reference.
• Constructed en-face RNFL attenuation coefficient maps and performed statistical analysis.

Main Results:

• Healthy eyes exhibited high, uniform RNFL attenuation coefficients.
• Glaucomatous eyes showed lower coefficients with localized defects.
• Significant differences in RNFL attenuation coefficients were observed between healthy and glaucomatous eyes (P < 0.0001).

Conclusions:

• RNFL attenuation coefficient maps offer a novel, artifact-insensitive method for assessing RNFL health.
• These maps demonstrate high diagnostic potential for glaucoma detection and monitoring.
• The findings suggest clinical utility for RNFL attenuation coefficient mapping in ophthalmology.