Abstract

The early stages of sub-retinal pathology are often difficult to observe and quantify in vivo. One important example is age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which is one of the chief causes of visual loss in the United States. Histopathological studies of human eyes indicate that there is a deposition of material in the layers beneath the retina, particularly in Bruch’s membrane prior to clinical detection of the disease. (Fig 1, as in Ref ¹). These changes are not visible clinically when the deposits are diffuse or small (e.g. <25 urn). We are currently attempting to determine if these earliest changes can be detected by non-invasive techniques.

© 1991 Optical Society of America