A review recently published in Medicina (Kaunas) thoroughly summarized the new developments and clinical applications of anterior segment OCTA (AS-OCTA) for the cornea and ocular surface. The review was authored by Dr. Brian Juin Hsien Lee and the team of Prof. Marcus Ang from the Singapore National Eye Centre.

As a non-invasive modality that permits rapid assessment of the anterior segment vasculature, AS-OCTA demonstrates significant potential in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of anterior segment pathologies, including corneal vascular lesions, anterior segment tumors, ocular surface diseases, and the prognostication of graft rejection post-keratoplasty, among others.

Compared with the current standard of contrast-based imaging, AS-OCTA enables visualization of anterior segment blood vessels in multiple segmentations, such as deep corneal neovascularization (CoNV), with good image quality and repeatability. With more advanced software, algorithms, and AI integration, AS-OCTA also shows capabilities for vessel depth measurement, three-dimensional vasculature mapping, and quantitative evaluation of anterior segment diseases through comprehensive parameters such as vessel density (VD) and flow area measurement, presenting a foreseeable future for its wide use in clinical practice.

A 400 kHz speed full-range swept-source OCTA (BMizar, TowardPi Medical) was mentioned in this review for its excellent performance in anterior segment OCT and OCT angiography. With a built-in segmentation algorithm for the anterior segment, visualization of vasculature in the cornea, ocular surface, and iris can be achieved with high quality. 3D reconstruction of the panoramic anterior segment and flow quantifications are also available with integrated software.

Link to the original text: https://www.mdpi.com/1648-9144/60/10/1597