The Company

Founded in 2014, Varocto Inc. is an ophthalmic research and development company located in the City of Orange, California. Varocto is a spin-off of Alfred E. Mann Institute at USC. We are developing the next generation non-invasive retinal vascular screening machine utilizing OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography) and OCTA (Optical Coherence Tomographic Angiography). OCT angiography is a non-invasive new technology to image the three dimensional vasculature of the eye without requiring pupil dilation and without any injection of dye. For many eye diseases including diabetes and age-related macular degeneration, non-invasive screening for the occurrence of retinal vascular problems before vision has been damaged has the potential to improve overall eye health.

Images

This gallery of images was produced from data acquired from multiple development machines and processed using our proprietary OCT angiography algorithm. Images courtesy of Varocto, California Institute of Technology, University of Southern California, and University of California Davis.

What is OCT?

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an imaging technology which uses light to non-invasively image the three-dimensional structure of the retina.

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Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is an imaging technology which uses light to non-invasively image the three-dimensional structure of the retina. It is a commonly used tool by ophthalmologists to identify structural abnormalities in diseased eyes.
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What is OCT angiography?

Non-invasive vascular screening such as OCT angiography holds the potential to enhance overall eye health through retinal vascular screening.

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OCT Angiography is a new direction in retinal screening technologies, providing a non-invasive method to image the three dimensional structure of the retinal and choroidal vasculature. Developed as an additional functionality to optical coherence tomography (OCT), which produces three dimensional structural images, OCT angiography visualizes regions of fluctuating signal based on the blood flow present in vessels. The three dimensional vascular data can be presented in multiple ways, including as a two-dimensional color map vascular image where the color represents the depth location of the vasculature.

Non-invasive vascular screening such as OCT angiography holds the potential to enhance overall eye health through retinal vascular screening, for diseases such as diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration. OCT angiography is a functional addition to OCT, which allows for non-invasive imaging of the three dimensional vasculature of the retina and choroid.

The three dimensional vascular data can be presented in multiple ways, including as a two-dimensional color map vascular image where the color represents the depth location of the vasculature.

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A range of
possibilities

OCT Angiography can be tailored to view different types of vascular features, from the largest vessels in the eye all the way down to the smallest microvasculature.

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OCT angiography can be tailored to view different types of vascular features, from the largest vessels in the eye all the way down to the smallest microvasculature. Large field of view scans can help observe major vessels of the eye, and zooming in on specific regions of interest can view microvascular features.

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A non-invasive alternative

Fluorescein angiography (FA) is the most common form of retinal vascular imaging, which typically requires an injection of dye to be able to view flow.

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Comparison of the fovea region of a subject with diabetic retinopathy with fluorescein angiography (FA, left) and our method of OCT angiography (right).

A regional comparison of a diabetic retinopathy subject imaged with FA (left) and our method of OCT angiography (right) highlights very similar structure. Regions where there no longer exists any microvasculature are outlined in red on the OCT angiographic image.
Fluorescein angiography (FA) is the most common form of retinal vascular imaging, which typically requires an injection of dye to be able to view flow. OCT angiography holds the potential of being used as a non-invasive alternative to this technology.
Images courtesy of Varocto, California Institute of Technology, University of Southern California, and University of California Davis
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Facts

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy (DR) are two primary targets for our technology, as these two are the most common retinal vascular diseases in the United States. If these diseases can be detected in their early stage, early treatment can delay the onset of the diseases.

Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD)

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a medical condition which may result in blurred or no vision in the center of the visual field, called macula. It commonly occurs in people over the age of 50 and the incidence rate increases with age. It is the most common cause of vision loss in this age group in the States. The advanced form of AMD which can cause significant vision damage occurs in approximately 2 million in the United States, and the incidence is expected to more than double as the general population gets older. For some ethnicities, advanced AMD occurs in as much as 14% of the population over the age of 80.

Macular degeneration typically occurs in older people, but genetic factors also play a role in AMD. There are often no symptoms in the early stage of the disease. Although it does not result in full blindness in patients, some of the visual symptoms include: distorted vision, blurred vision, loss in contrast sensitivity and visual acuity. Patients with this disease slowly lose their sharp, central vision that is required for activities like reading and driving. It sometimes progresses slowly and happens in one or both eyes. AMD can be detected by a complete eye exam.

Diabetic Retinopathy (DR)

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the most common diabetic eye disease and a leading cause of blindness in American adults. Of an estimated 29 million people in the United States with diabetes, approximately 7 million have diabetic retinopathy. Diabetic retinopathy causes changes in the blood vessels of the light sensitive tissue, called the retina that lines in the back of the eye. In some cases, the patient’s blood vessels may swell and leak fluid while in other patients, new blood vessels grown on the surface of the retina. DR usually affects both eyes.

Diabetic macular edema (DME) is a consequence of diabetic retinopathy. It is swelling (fluid build-up) in an area of the retina called macula. The macula is important for the sharp, straight-ahead vision that is used for reading, recognizing faces and driving. People with all types of diabetes (type 1, 2 and gestational) are at risk for diabetic retinopathy. The early stages of diabetic retinopathy usually have no symptoms. It often progresses unnoticed until it affects vision. Vision loss in DR is sometimes irreversible. Patients with diabetes should get comprehensive eye exam at least once a year to detect any early signs of eye disease.

Vascular Imaging in the Eye

Fluorescein Angiography (FA) is the most common technique for imaging the vasculature in the eye. It typically requires dilation of the pupil, an injection of dye by a doctor and viewing of very bright lights during imaging. Due to the requirements of the dye injection by a doctor, the dilation of the pupil, and the possibility of a reaction to the dye, this technology is limited for use in screening the population without symptoms of vision problems. To improve the potential eye health of the population, vascular diseases should be detected before damage has occurred to improve the treatment options.

OCT angiography (OCTA) is a non-invasive new technology that has the potential to screen eyes for retinal vascular diseases. This is purely a light imaging technology which requires no pupil dilation, no injections of any kind, and does not need a doctor present to acquire the images. In addition OCTA can produce three dimensional information of the vasculature of the eye, potentially opening up new diagnostic opportunities in the future.

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  • 1586 N. Batavia St., Orange, CA 92867