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Visible Light OCT-Based Quantitative Imaging of Lipofuscin in the Retinal Pigment Epithelium

Dr. Shuliang Jiao

 Lipofuscin, a by-product of the vision cycle of photoreceptors, is the major source of the fundus auto-fluorescence (FAF) in the Retinal Pigment Epithelium (RPE). In other words, a complex mixture of partially digested lipids and protein components in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells, is a major source of fundus autofluorescence (FAF). FAF hence is a natural biomarker that carries the information of lipofuscin content, and quantification of FAF signal could be used to assess the amount of lipofuscin in the RPE for diagnosis and monitoring disease progression. FAF imaging has been used in ophthalmology clinics for many years. For example, hyper-autofluorescence is positively correlated with the progression of AMD and Stargate’s macular dystrophy. In the case of geographic atrophy (GA), the late stage of dry AMD, advanced RPE alterations exhibit clinically recognizable patterns of hyper-autofluorescence, which is positively correlated with the rate of GA progression and can be analysed semi-automatically with newly developed software by non-expert graders.