Investigating spontaneous retinal venous pulsation using Doppler optical coherence tomography.

We demonstrate the advantages of optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging for investigation of spontaneous retinal venous pulsation (SRVP). The pulsatile changes in venous vessel caliber are analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively using conventional intensity-based OCT as well as the functional extension Doppler OCT (DOCT). Single-channel and double-channel line scanning protocols of our multi-channel OCT prototype are employed to investigate venous pulsatile caliber oscillations as well as venous flow pulsatility in the eyes of healthy volunteers. A comparison to recordings of scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (SLO) - a standard en-face imaging modality for evaluation of SRVP - is provided, emphasizing the advantages of tomographic image acquisition. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first quantitative time-resolved investigation of SRVP and associated retinal perfusion characteristics using OCT.