Perspectives of an innovative ophthalmological technology: optical coherence tomography (OCT)--what should be of interest to the neurologist?

Ocular coherence tomography has revolutionised the prospects of measuring the loss of retinal ganglion cells secondary to degenerative diseases and monitoring time-dependent changes of optic disc morphology, since the resolution has been improved considerably and the time required has been reduced. Although the non-invasive technique promises a high inter-session reproducibility, the limitations of retinal imaging and the problems of segmenting of the retinal layers have to be taken into account. While the first studies were limited to single sessions in small groups, further trials will elucidate how the retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) is altered in the course of different episodic forms of multiple sclerosis. This review points out that the examination technique already provides comprehensive information, valuable in the daily care of neurological patients.