SriniVas R. Sadda, MD, FARVO, shares key points from his retina presentation at the International SPECTRALIS Symposium

At the International SPECTRALIS Symposium – and Beyond (ISS) in Heidelberg, Germany, a lineup of imaging experts shared their thoughts on the ever-changing field. SriniVas R. Sadda, MD, FARVO, presented a lecture on high-resolution optical coherence tomography (OCT). At the ISS, he said high-resolution OCT shows diagnostic and prognostic promise for atrophic and precursor lesions in age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Biomarker-based risk stratification is a strategy Dr Sadda already uses in his clinical practice, he said. “We’ve spent a lot of years trying to establish the pathway to the development of atrophy in AMD,” he said. "These biomarkers are very important to recognise."

High-resolution OCT has a stronger axial resolution than standard-resolution OCT, giving structural features of the eye a distinct appearance. This allows clinicians to distinguish true hyperreflective foci from retinal vasculature, for example. Additionally, clinicians can differentiate incomplete retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) and outer retinal atrophy (iRORA) from complete RPE and outer retinal atrophy (cRORA), a vital distinction to make in treating patients with AMD.

Watch the full video to hear how the nuanced monitoring made possible by high-resolution OCT can help diagnose and treat patients.