Measurement of retinal oxygen extraction – a new approach

Several diseases have been found to be associated with altered retinal oxygen metabolism. These diseases include for example ocular disorders such as glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration or diabetic retinopathy, but also systemic illnesses like multiple sclerosis or Alzheimers disease. Methods for assessment of retinal oxygen extraction are, however, currently limited to experimental setups that are time-consuming and not certified. Therefore, an easy, reliable method to measure retinal oxygen extraction is highly warranted in order to use this parameter not only in clinical studies, but also in patient care in the future. In the present project, a new methodological approach is introduced which only relies on equipment that is commercially available and certified, in particular laser speckle flowmetry (LSFG) and retinal oximetry. All parts of this approach including the software for evaluation will be shared with the scientific community via publication so that everyone performing research on this topic will be able to use it. With the proposed setup, research in retinal oxygen extraction could be compared between centers and this would also give ground for multi-center studies, might establishing retinal oxygen extraction as a diagnostic tool in diseases with altered oxygen metabolism in the future.