Clinical Usefulness of Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography in Glaucoma and NAION

The development of optical coherence tomography (OCT) has changed the clinical management of ophthalmic diseases by furthering the understanding of pathogenesis, as well as improving the monitoring of their progression and assisting in quantifying the response to treatment modalities in ophthalmic diseases. Initially, the two-dimensional configuration of the optic nerve head (ONH) and the thickness of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) were the main OCT structural parameters used in clinical management of optic nerve diseases. Now, with higher resolution power and faster acquisition times, the details of ONH and the retina including the macular area can be measured using spectral domain OCT (SD-OCT) with high reproducibility and increased diagnostic ability. OCT can provide structural information to improve the understanding and management of optic nerve diseases. In this review, we will briefly summarize the clinical applications of SD-OCT in glaucoma and nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, which are two representative optic nerve diseases.