Diabetes can damage the tiny blood vessels at the back of the eye. Two of the most serious results are diabetic macular ischaemia (DMI), where blood supply to the macula, the centre of the retina, is reduced or lost, and diabetic macular oedema (DMO), where fluid leaks and builds up in the macula. Both can lead to permanent loss of central vision.
Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) is a non-invasive scan that shows the retinal blood vessels in fine detail. This project is developing methods to automatically segment those vessels from OCTA scans. The aim is to give clinicians reliable measurements of the retinal vasculature that help guide the treatment of DMI and DMO.
More details coming soon.