Measurement of retinal blood flow using Doppler OCT in diabetic retinopathy

SummaryPurpose To determine factors of importance for quantitating retinal blood flow in patients with diabetic retinopathy using bi-directional Doppler OCT. Methods Retinal blood flow was measured by bi-directional Doppler OCT in 20 diabetic patients with different diabetes type, age and retinopathy stage. Results It appeared that age above 40 years was a significant limiting factor for obtaining suitable signals to measure retinal blood flow, which was due to lens opacities and insufficient mydriasis. Quantitative measures of blood flow in the studied patients below the age of 40 years will be reported. Conclusion Bi-directional Doppler OCT offers a new principle for quantitating retinal blood flow, but the principle has not yet been fully developed to be suitable for routine clinical practise.