Clinical Skills Certificate Course:
Optical Coherence Tomography
Course level:
This course is intended for ophthalmic assistants, technicians and technologists.
Course structure:
This course consists of short, illustrated reading segments. There is a quiz at the end of the course. Upon passing the quiz, the user will receive a certificate of completion.
Estimated time to complete:
Two and one half hours.
Short Course Description:
This course on optical coherence tomography discusses the technology, instrumentation, scanning techniques, qualitative and quantitative analysis, scan errors and scan optimization, scans of the macula and optic nerve head, and OCT angiography (OCT-A). The evolution of OCT technology is also discussed, including the move from time domain to spectal domain technology.
For the Detailed Course Description, see below
The course can be purchased via Paypal (you don't need a Paypal account) by using the button below, $10 for 2 months of access. More than one course can be purchased at the same time by going to the course catalog. Courses can also be purchased via Authorize.net from the course catalog.
After purchase, the course can be accessed immediately by using the "courses" tab on the top menu bar to link to your "my courses" page.
Detailed Course Description
OCT of the Macula
Anatomy of the retina
Characteristics of the OCT scan
Line scan vs. raster scan
Qualitative vs quantitative analysis
Procedures for performing scans
Signal strength and scan optimization
Tracking and repeat scanning
OCT scan of the optic nerve head
Glaucoma and the retinal nerve fiber layer
The TSNIT map
Scanning procedures
Signal strength and scan optimization
OCT: Qualitative Analysis
How the OCT works
Scan protocol types
The OCT retina scan compared to retinal anatomy
Qualitative and quantitative analysis
Qualitative Analysis
Regions
Profiles
Pre-retinal profile
Overall retinal profile
Foveal profile
Macular profile
Reflectivity
Artifacts
OCT and fluorescein angiography in retinal diagnosis
OCT: Scanning Techniques for Qualitative Analysis
OCT scan protocols for qualitative evaluation of the retina
Radial line scan
Line scan
Cross-hair scan
7mm posterior pole scan
Raster scan
OCT analysis protocols for qualitative evaluation of the retina
Raster scan review
Topography/volume scan review
Scanning tips and patient management
OCT: Quantitative Analysis and Scanning Techniques
Optimizing OCT scans
Media clarity
The video window
What makes a good OCT scan?
Alignment and focus
Noise
Artifacts
The Raster Scan for quantitative analysis
Quantitative analysis
Review the scan
Editing individual line scans
Glaucoma scans
Fast Optic Disc Scan
Fast RNFL Thickness Scan
From Time Domain to Spectral Domain Technology
Part 1: The limitations of time domain technology
Time Domain and Spectral Domain OCT
The Zeiss Time Domain OCT
OCT A-scans and B-scans vs. Ultrasonic A-scans and B-scans
Shortcomings of time domain technology when performing macular scans
Motion Artifacts
Failure to identify RNFL and RPE layers
Interpolated Data
Lack of Registration
Shortcomings of time domain technology when used for RNFL thickness analysis
Motion artifacts
Failure to identify the borders of the RNFL
Lack of registration
Part 2: The advances of spectral domain technology
Spectral Domain OCT Technology
Example comparing time domain to spectral domain
Spectral domain technology reduces scanning errors
Motion artifacts
Failure to identify RNFL and RPE layers
Interpolated data
Lack of registration
RNFL Analysis
Eye tracking and microperimetry
More Advancement in OCT Technology
OCT engineering problems
Eye tracking, repeat scanning, and exam comparisons
OCT Angiography, or OCT-A
Optical Coherence Tomography - Angiography (OCT-A) of the Posterior Pole
OCT-A technology
OCT-A image segmentation
OCT-A image artifacts complicate scan interpretation
OCT-A and the imaging technician
Optical Coherence Tomography - Angiography (OCT-A) of the Optic Nerve
Description of the technology
Problem with scan quality
What this means for the scanning technician