Lacquer Cracks Detection and Measurement Using Black-on-White Infrared Reflectance and Late-Phase Indocyanine Green...

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Medical Imaging
• Retinal Diagnostics

Background:

• Lacquer cracks (LCs) are common in high myopia and can be associated with complications.
• Accurate detection and quantification of LCs are crucial for monitoring disease progression and managing potential risks.
• Current imaging methods have limitations in terms of accessibility, invasiveness, or resolution.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the efficacy of indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) and black-on-white infrared reflectance (bwIR) in detecting and quantifying lacquer cracks (LCs).
• To evaluate bwIR as a potential noninvasive screening tool for LCs in myopic patients.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective single-center study involving myopic patients (>18 years) diagnosed with LCs.
• Review of medical records and multimodal imaging, including bwIR and late-phase ICGA.
• Two independent graders assessed LC presence, and image processing quantified LC area using both bwIR and ICGA.

Main Results:

• LCs were detected in 90.6% of cases using bwIR and 100% using ICGA.
• The agreement between graders for LC detection was very good (Cohen κ = 0.78).
• Mean LC area quantification showed no statistically significant difference between bwIR (14.58 ± 8.21 mm²) and ICGA (13.86 ± 8.50 mm²).

Conclusions:

• bwIR demonstrates high sensitivity for LC detection in myopic eyes.
• bwIR provides comparable quantification of LC extension to ICGA.
• bwIR is proposed as a rapid, noninvasive, and promising screening tool for lacquer cracks.