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ABSTRACT
Purpose: To review the clinical applications and diagnostic value of the retinal function imager (RFI), briefly compare RFI to other optical imaging devices, and to describe recent developments.
Methods: The search words “Retinal Functional Imager,” “optical imaging,” “retina angiography,” “avascular zone,” “foveal avascular zone,” and other closely related terms were used in PubMed to review current literature involving the RFI.
Results: The functions of the RFI were utilized in over 44 microvascular studies, which reported that the microvasculature may alter in velocity, morphology, and oximetry when affected by a number of ocular, neurological, or systemic diseases. Recently developed automatic algorithms for noninvasive angiography of large retinal regions, segmenting vessels, measuring blood flow, blood velocity, vessel diameter, and oximetry may enhance the clinical applications of the RFI.
Conclusion: The RFI has been used to characterize the retinal microvasculature under various conditions of all prevalent retinal diseases in addition to some central nerve system (CNS) and systemic diseases. Applying the RFI in research and clinical settings should help earlier diagnosis, support disease prevention, and improve treatment management.
Declaration of interest
Dr. Jianhua Wang is a scientific advisory panel member of Optical Imaging Ltd. Dr. Amiram Grinvald has proprietary interests and is a shareholder of Optical Imaging Ltd. Liang Wang received an educational scholarship from Optical Imaging Ltd. Other authors have no proprietary interest in any materials or methods. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.