Advances in the Structural Evaluation of Glaucoma with Optical Coherence Tomography

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is capable of providing quantitative and objective assessments of the optic disc, macula and retinal nerve fiber layer in glaucoma. The recent advent of spectral domain OCT (SD-OCT) has enhanced the resolution, decreased scan acquisition time, and improved the reproducibility of measurements compared to older versions of this technology. However, although OCT has been successfully used for detection of disease and evaluation of progression, the limited agreement between structural and functional tests indicates the strong need for a combined approach for detecting and monitoring the disease. A recently described approach for estimation of rates of retinal ganglion cell loss from a combination of SD-OCT and functional data is a promising method for diagnosing, staging, detecting progression, and estimating rates of glaucomatous deterioration.