Computer-aided diagnosis of age-related macular degeneration by OCT, fundus image analysis

Abstract Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) causes a severe loss of sight. AMD is an eye disease related to retina. Macular degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss, more than any other eye diseases. AMD is a chronic disease and it cannot be cured. There are two types of macular degeneration namely; wet macular degeneration (WMD) and dry macular degeneration (DMD). The fundus imaging technique, optical coherence tomography (OCT) technique are the imaging modalities, used to detect AMD. OCT is a known technology for detection of AMD because it will detect minute changes in the retina. By extracting RPE layer, one can find out the healthy or affected AMD using image processing tools. In the dry age-related macular degeneration (DAMD), there will be existence of small yellow deposits and in wet age-related macular degeneration (WAMD), there will be an irregular growth of blood vessels under the layer of macula. These conditions result in intensity variations in fundus images which could form the basis for screening and diagnosis of the disease.