Retinal Imaging: A Look Into the "Near" Future

A variety of new techniques for retinal imaging will become available in the near future, including macular mapping, functional imaging, and multimodal macular mapping. The ability to map the macula will provide an automatic identification of location, a “GPS” system for the retina. By being able to pinpoint an absolute retinal location, follow-up and clinical decision making will be improved. Improved functional imaging includes evaluation of the blood-retinal barrier, cell and metabolic mapping, and functional topography. Finally, multimodal macular mapping will allow for the integration of different types of information. Such a technique will allow for image registration and fusion, as well as providing retinal images from multiple views. Hopefully, these strategies will lead to improved patient screening, diagnosis, and treatment in the near future.