Retinal segmentation using multicolor laser imaging.

Spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) changed 3 worlds: clinical care, clinical research, and the regulatory environment of phases 2, 3, and 4 pharmaceutical and surgical trials. OCT is now undergoing another transformation with multicolor technology, which acquires images using data from 3 simultaneous lasers: red, green, and blue, taking advantage of the different wavelengths of each of these colors to most precisely image 3 different zones of the retina. Rather than seeing only the surface of the retina and optic disc and any large lesions in the deeper retina, this technology provides a topographic map of the outer (red), mid (green), and inner (blue) retina somewhat similar to what is observed with fundus autoflourescence of deep retina, retinal pigment epithelium, and choroid. Multicolor imaging will supplement and help to define what is observed with traditional fundus photography and SD-OCT. In addition, it may demonstrate abnormalities when routine photography is normal and when SD-OCT findings are equivocal. This review will illustrate the basic principles of multicolor imaging and will show clinical examples of how this technique can further define retinal and optic nerve pathology.