Thickness measurements taken with the spectralis OCT increase with decreasing signal strength

BACKGROUND: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is used worldwide by clinicians to evaluate macular and retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) characteristics. It is frequently utilized to assess disease severity, progression and efficacy of treatment, and therefore must be reliable and reproducible. OBJECTIVE: To examine the influence of signal strength on macular thickness parameters, macular volume measurement and RNFL thickness measured by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). METHODS: Macular thickness parameters, macular volume measurement and RNFL thickness were measured by the Spectralis® OCT (Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany). In each eye, the focusing knob was adjusted to obtain 4 images with different signal strengths – Low (below 15), Moderate (15-20), Good (20-25) and Excellent (above 25). The relationship between signal strength and measured data was assessed using the mixed model procedure. RESULTS: A total of 71 eyes of 41 healthy subjects were included. Central macular thickness, macular volume and mean RNFL thickness increased with decreasing signal strength. Specifically, eyes with excellent signal strength showed significantly thinner central macular thickness (p = 0.023), macular volume (p = 0.047), and mean RNFL thickness (p = 0.0139). CONCLUSIONS: Higher signal strength is associated with lower macular thickness, macular volume and RNFL thickness measurements. The mean differences between excellent and low-quality measurements were small implicating that SD-OCT is a reliable imaging tool even at low quality scans. It is imperative that the physician compares the signal strength of all scans, as minute differences may alter results.