Functional imaging of inherited retinal disease with a commercial optical coherence tomography device

Retinal dystrophies (RD) are blinding diseases affecting visual acuity mostly at young age. Intrinsic optical signals (IOS) on optical coherence tomography (OCT) may give topographical information on injure of retinal function in these patients. We demonstrate light response of the healthy and diseased human retina by IOS on a commercially available spectral-domain OCT. Significant IOS could be measured in the healthy retina and in unchanged retinal sectors of the RD patients. Main responses were located in the outer retina (photoreceptors) and the nerve fiber layer. In affected areas of RD eyes IOS were significantly reduced or even absent. Functional OCT imaging was able to give information about retinal function in RD patients on a micrometer scale. These results could be of value for refined disease analysis and control of upcoming gene therapy studies.