Biomarkers and sensitive evaluation of retinal laser lesions

Advanced imaging techniques and proteomic technology continue to push the boundaries for diagnosing and understanding retinal laser lesion exposures. We conducted retinal imaging in the rhesus macaque to compare the appearance of suprathreshold laser lesions in the macula from both photothermal (532 nm, 100 ms) and photomechanical (532 nm, 9 ns) insult using five different imaging systems: three clinically approved systems; Heidelberg Spectralis SD-OCT-SLO, Heidelberg HRT3 cSLO, and Topcon Fundus camera, and two experimental systems; multispectral using a fundus camera and hyperspectral detection using a PSI Inc. LSLO. In addition to imaging, blood plasma samples were acquired before and after (6 and 24 hrs) laser exposure to search for biomarkers occurring from two different laser damage mechanisms. Imaging results should help identify the best potential imaging systems for capturing retinal laser lesions from photothermal or photomechanical injury. The proteomics results will assist in understanding the elicited molecular pathways involved in damage response to the two types of retinal laser insult, and may be used to hallmark approaches for potential treatment options.