OCT: Beyond Red and Green

Research raises questions about current reference data contributing to glaucoma overdiagnosis in African ancestry eyes

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Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is essential in glaucoma care, using color-coded reports to indicate retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness.
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A study from the POAAGG suggests the Cirrus HD-OCT database may misclassify eyes of African ancestry as more abnormal than an ancestry-specific reference.
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The analysis included 787 eyes with primary open-angle glaucoma, revealing that the ancestry-specific model produced fewer abnormal classifications.
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Reclassification varied by retinal quadrant, with the temporal quadrant showing the greatest shift in OCT color codes.
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The study emphasizes the need for more representative normative datasets to improve the accuracy of OCT findings in diverse populations.

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