Quantitative Evaluation of Retinal Degeneration in Royal College of Surgeons Rats by Contrast Enhanced Ultrahigh Resolution Optical Coherence Tomography

This study presents a spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) using supercontinuum laser combined with a fundus photography for in vivo high-resolution imaging of retinal degeneration in Royal College of Surgeons (RCS-/- rat). These findings were compared with the Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats and the corresponding histology. Quantitative measurements show that changes in thickness were not significantly different between SD control and young RCS retinas (4 weeks). However, in old RCS rats (55 weeks), the thickness of photoreceptor layer decreased significantly as compared to young RCS rats (both 4 weeks and 5 weeks). After contrast enhancement method, this platform will be useful for the quantitative evaluation of the degree of retinal degeneration, treatment outcome after therapy, and drug screening development in the future.