Laser Speckle Flowgraphy in Caucasians: Age Dependence and Comparison With Doppler Optical Coherence Tomography

Some of the most prevalent eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy are associated with ocular perfusion abnormalities. Currently, there is no gold-standard method for the measurement of ocular blood flow available. Laser speckle flowgraphy is a promising technique for the two-dimensional assessment of ocular blood flow in humans. So far the technique has, however, been only gained widespread use in Japan. The experience in Caucasian subjects is very limited. In a Japanese population it was shown that mean blur rate, a measure of chorioretinal blood velocity, decreases with age. This is of relevance, because an age-related decline in ocular blood flow may partially explain the age-dependence of ocular vascular disease. The present study investigates this age-dependence in healthy subjects. In addition, the investigators investigate in a sub-group of this population whether relative flow volume (RFV), a novel index of blood flow in the human retina derived from laser speckle flowgraphy is associated with retinal blood flow as assessed with bi-directional Doppler Optical Coherence Tomography (DOCT).