Contactless, autonomous robotic alignment of optical coherence tomography for in vivo evaluation of diseased retinas

During the COVID-19 pandemic, an emphasis was placed on contactless, physical distancing and improved telehealth; contrariwise, standard-of-care ophthalmic imaging of patients required present, trained personnel. Here, we introduce contactless, autonomous robotic alignment of optical coherence tomography (RAOCT) for in vivo imaging of retinal disease and compare measured retinal thickness and diagnostic readability to technician operated clinical OCT. In a powered study, we found no statistically significant difference in retinal thickness in both healthy and diseased retinas (p > 0.7) or across a variety of demographics (gender, race, and age) between RAOCT and clinical OCT. In a secondary study, a retina specialist labeled a given volume as normal/abnormal. Compared to the clinical diagnostic label, sensitivity/specificity for RAOCT were equal or improved over clinical OCT. Contactless, autonomous RAOCT, that improves upon current clinical OCT, could play a role in both ophthalmic care and non-ophthalmic settings that would benefit from improved eye care.