What Does Optical Coherence Tomography Offer for Evaluating Physical Disability in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis?

Visual dysfunction is one of the most common clinical manifestations of multiple sclerosis (MS). For example, optic neuritis is the onset symptom in 20% of patients with MS. Visual pathway impairment presents in most patients with MS, including patients who have not experienced optic neuritis. During the last decade, many clinical trials of MS have included visual outcomes. One tool used in these studies, optical coherence tomography, is a non-contact, noninvasive, high-resolution optical imaging technology that helps segmentation and measurement of specific retinal layers using computerized algorithms. Optical coherence tomography is used in various stages of MS from diagnosis to treatment of the disease. In this review, we summarize the use of optical coherence tomography in MS and study its usefulness for evaluating the physical disabilities of MS patients.