Age and Glaucoma-Related Characteristics in Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer and Choroid: Localized Morphometrics and...

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Medical Imaging
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Optical coherence tomography (OCT) offers high-resolution 3D retinal imaging.
• Quantitative morphological analysis in retinal diseases is limited by conventional methods.
• Detecting subtle clinical markers in retinal degenerative diseases requires advanced analytical techniques.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel point-wise analysis and visualization method for retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and choroid using functional shapes (fshape) registration.
• To enable detailed spatial analysis of morphometric patterns in retinal layers.
• To compare age- and disease-related differences in RNFL and choroid thickness.

Main Methods:

• Utilized functional shapes (fshape) registration for joint optimization of retinal surface geometry and functional signals.
• Generated group-wise mean RNFL and choroidal surfaces with layer thickness mapping.
• Analyzed differences based on age (younger vs. older normal) and disease (normal vs. glaucomatous).

Main Results:

• Fshape successfully visualized detailed spatial patterns of RNFL thinning in glaucoma, particularly in the inferior region.
• Older normal subjects exhibited significantly thinner choroids across all regions compared to younger subjects.
• Glaucomatous RNFL was most significantly thinner inferiorly, near Bruch's membrane opening.

Conclusions:

• Fshape registration provides a comprehensive and detailed method for analyzing and visualizing morphometric patterns in retinal layers.
• The method enhances spatial sensitivity for detecting subtle changes relevant to retinal diseases like glaucoma.
• This approach offers valuable insights into age- and disease-related structural variations in the posterior eye segment.