Seeing small and aiming big: the development and clinical impact of optical coherence tomography

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a technology invented in 1991 to image small critical tissue structures with micrometer resolution. It is widely used in eye and coronary heart diseases. I will tell the story of OCT’s initial conception from the inventor’s perspective along with an account of the rapid pace of development that made OCT a clinical reality. The biggest applications of OCT in the management of eye diseases will be shown. Recent advances that enable OCT to advance beyond the imaging of tissue structure to the detection of blood flow and photoreceptor function will be described.