Development and Validation of Non simultaneous Retinal Image Acquisition-Based Retinal Oximeter

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Medical Imaging
• Physiology

Background:

• Accurate measurement of retinal oxygen saturation is crucial for understanding ocular health.
• Conventional methods may be complex or require specialized equipment.
• Developing a validated, accessible tool is essential for clinical application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a tool for measuring retinal oxygen saturation.
• To utilize a conventional fundus camera with a nonsimultaneous imaging technique.
• To assess the repeatability and reliability of the developed oximetry method.

Main Methods:

• A conventional Zeiss FF450IR fundus camera with 570 nm and 600 nm filters was employed.
• Nonsimultaneous retinal oximetry imaging was performed on 45 subjects.
• Image analysis was conducted using MATLAB R2013b, with participants undergoing comprehensive eye and systemic health evaluations.

Main Results:

• The median retinal arteriolar and venular oxygen saturation were 94.7% and 55.8%, respectively.
• No statistically significant differences were found in oxygen saturation measurements across three visits (p=0.33 for arteriolar, p=0.79 for venular).
• High intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) demonstrated excellent test-retest (0.84 arteriolar, 0.92 venular), short-term (0.90 arteriolar, 0.98 venular), and day-to-day (0.86 arteriolar, 0.98 venular) repeatability.

Conclusions:

• A nonsimultaneous image acquisition technique using a conventional fundus camera can reliably measure retinal oxygen saturation.
• The developed tool exhibits good repeatability for both retinal arteriolar and venular oxygen saturation.
• This method offers a promising approach for non-invasive assessment of retinal oxygenation in clinical settings.