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The effect of lubricating eye drops on optical coherence tomography imaging of the retina
Nicola G Ghazi1, Jason W Much1
1University of Virginia.
Introduction:
The goal of this study was to examine the potential value of corneal lubrication in improving the quality of optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging of the retina.
Materials And Methods:
This study is a consecutive series of 13 eyes of 11 patients in whom repeated attempts at OCT imaging failed to yield a good quality study despite the absence of significant media opacity or inadequate pupil dilation. Immediately following several poor quality scans, each eye received lubricating eye drops. The quality of images before and after the administration of drops was assessed.
Results:
A statistically significant improvement in OCT image quality was observed following the administration of eye drops in each case. The change in mean signal strength (SS) was from 4.35 to 6.26 (p=0.0002). The proportion of scans with erroneous edge detection decreased from 41 to 13 percent.
Discussion:
Lubricating drops appear to improve the quality and feasibility of OCT imaging in selected cases.
