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World J Ophthalmol. May 12, 2016; 6(2): 10-19
Published online May 12, 2016. doi: 10.5318/wjo.v6.i2.10
Advances in retinal imaging modalities: Challenges and opportunities
Muhammad Usman Saeed, Justyna Danuta Oleszczuk
Muhammad Usman Saeed, Department of Ophthalmology, St Helier Hospital, Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust, Carshalton, London SM5 1AA, United Kingdom
Justyna Danuta Oleszczuk, Moorfields Eye Hospital, London EC1V 2PD, United Kingdom
Author contributions: Saeed MU and Oleszczuk JD both contributed to this paper.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflict of interest and no financial benefits from any of the manufacturers.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Muhammad Usman Saeed, BSc, MBBS, FRCS Ed, FRCOphth, Department of Ophthalmology, St Helier Hospital, Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust, Wrythe Lane, Carshalton, London SM5 1AA, United Kingdom. musmansaeed@aol.com
Telephone: +44-20-82963820 Fax: +44-20-82963821
Received: December 12, 2014
Peer-review started: December 12, 2014
First decision: February 7, 2015
Revised: February 19, 2016
Accepted: April 14, 2016
Article in press: April 18, 2016
Published online: May 12, 2016
Abstract

Imaging in ophthalmology is playing an increasingly important role not only in screening, but also in monitoring and assessing response to treatment in an objective manner. Technical advances in various modes of imaging acquisition provide more detailed images. These can be combined and reviewed on one screen in the place of acquisition or sent for a remote assessment. Moreover, the machines are more user-friendly, which reduces the need for highly skilled technicians. In this article the authors describe currently available and experimental ophthalmic imaging modalities and their impact on clinical practice.

Keywords: Imaging, Retina, Macula, Retinal vessels, Choroidal vessels, Screening, Monitoring

Core tip: This article summarizes currently available and emerging imaging modalities in ophthalmology with respect to image acquisition, review options (i.e., software and file formats) and clinical application of the results.