New Directions for Ophthalmic OCT - Handhelds, Surgery, and Robotics.

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Medical Imaging
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Optical coherence tomography (OCT) emerged in the 1990s, transforming ophthalmic diagnostics.
• Initially confined to adult outpatient eye clinics, OCT's applications have broadened significantly.
• Technological advancements have enabled OCT's use in diverse clinical settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the expanding applications of OCT beyond traditional ophthalmic clinics.
• To highlight recent developments in handheld, intraoperative, and robotic OCT systems.
• To acknowledge the contributions of the late Joseph Izatt to OCT innovation.

Main Methods:

• Review of recent literature and technological advancements in OCT.
• Focus on handheld OCT in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs).
• Discussion of intraoperative OCT for real-time data and robotic OCT systems.

Main Results:

• Handheld OCT is being utilized in the NICU environment.
• Intraoperative OCT provides valuable data visualization and measurements during procedures.
• Robotically aligned OCT systems demonstrate feasibility outside conventional eye clinics.

Conclusions:

• OCT technology continues to evolve, extending its reach into new clinical areas.
• Innovations in OCT form factors and integration enhance its diagnostic and surgical utility.
• The expansion of OCT applications underscores its importance in ocular diagnostics and beyond.