OCT in Amblyopia—2023 Version

Purpose: To analyze the advantages of optical coherence tomography (OCT) or OCT angiography (OCTA) to detect retinal nerve fiber layer(RNFL) thickness abnormalities, changes in the macula and in the choroidal thickness in amblyopic patients. Methods: Studies were selected through an electronic search on PUBMED, EMBASE and GOOGLE SCHOLAR using the following terms: “Optical coherence tomography in amblyopia”, “OCT and amblyopia”, “Optical coherence tomography and anisometropic amblyopia”, “Optical coherence tomography and strabismic amblyopia”. ResultsOptical coherence tomography is a rapid, non-invasive imaging technique allowing objective quantification of retinal structures with high resolution; it can be successfully applied to young children, even those who are neurologically disabled or less cooperative. New generations devices, such as spectral domain OCT, have led to a dramatic increase in sensitivity that enables high-speed imaging. Furthermore, the OCT angiography advent has allowed us to study the retinal circulation in an accurate and non-invasive way. It can also be performed in children without technical and physical difficulties of fluorescein angiography. Discussion: OCTand OCT angiography could be useful technologies for evaluating progressive choroidal and RNFL thinning and changes in the macula in amblyopia. Evidence for direct retinal changes in eyes with amblyopia has been controversial, so that further studies with large sample are required.