Authors:Expert Workgroup of Expert consensus on the specification and operation of optical coherence tomography/optical coherence tomography angiography examination in experimental animals (2026), Ophthalmic Imaging and Intelligent Medicine Branch of Chinese Medicine Education Association, Ophthalmology Committee of International Association of Translational Medicine, Ophthalmology Committee of International Association of Intelligent Medicine, Chinese Ophthalmic Imaging Study Group
Corresponding authors: Shao Yi, Email: freebee99@163.com; Ji Dan, Email:jidan222@163.com; Yan Biao,Email: yanbiao1982@126.com
Published:2026-08-10
DOI: 10.3760/cma.j.cn115989-20241108-00306
ABSTRACT
Optical coherence tomography (OCT) and optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) have rapidly advanced over the past two decades as non-contact imaging techniques for tomographic analysis of intraocular tissue structures. Their applications in diagnosing and studying retinal diseases and glaucoma have revealed their unique clinical value. With the continuous innovation of technology, there are many brands of clinical instruments based on OCT/OCTA, and the iterative update is fast, so we need to improve the application level. In the field of experimental animal research, challenges arise due to physiological differences among various species of experimental animals, anatomical variations between the animals and the human eye, and limitations imposed by distinct research objectives. Moreover, anterior segment and retinal OCT/OCTA technologies represent high-resolution three-dimensional optical detection methods in vivo, posing difficulties for existing clinical instruments to meet the rigorous scientific and accuracy standards demanded by scientific research and efficacy evaluations. At the same time, the complexity of animal experiments, the diversity of scientific research tasks, and the constraints such as limited training time, insufficient experience in instrument operation, compared to clinical settings can lead to suboptimal OCT/OCTA outcomes for some research. To address this practical challenge, this consensus summarizes the technical principles, operation procedures and experimental precautions related to OCT/OCTA for the anterior segment and retina in common experimental animals. It also outlines the reference standards for corneal, retinal, and microvascular indicators across different animal models using OCT/OCTA technology, along with the practical applications of qualitative and quantitative analyses in ophthalmic corneal and retinal research.
KEYWORDS：
Optical coherence tomography;Optical coherence tomography angiography;Experimental animals;Operating specifications;Expert consensus
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Authors Info & Affiliations
Expert Workgroup of Expert consensus on the specification and operation of optical coherence tomography/optical coherence tomography angiography examination in experimental animals (2026)
Ophthalmic Imaging and Intelligent Medicine Branch of Chinese Medicine Education Association
Ophthalmology Committee of International Association of Translational Medicine
Ophthalmology Committee of International Association of Intelligent Medicine
Chinese Ophthalmic Imaging Study Group
Shao Yi
Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Eye Diseases, Shanghai 200080, China
Ji Dan
Sichuan Academy of Medical Sciences, Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, Chengdu 610072, China
Yan Biao
Department of Ophthalmology, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, National Clinical Research Center for Eye Diseases, Shanghai 200080, China
Figures & Tables
Figure 1 Non-standard corneal OCT images of C57BL/6 mice OCT: optical coherence tomography
Figure 2 Corneal OCT image of normal C57BL/6 mice A: Corneal OCT image hierarchical annotation B: Corneal OCT thickness point-to-point hierarchical measurement diagram C: Corneal OCT chamber angle measurement diagram (chamber angle angle 30°) OCT: optical coherence tomography
Figure 3 Corneal OCT images of normal adult animals in different species A: Zebrafish B: C57BL/6 mouse C: SD rat D: Guinea pig E: New Zealand white rabbit F: Pig OCT: optical coherence tomography
Figure 4 OCT measurement images of eye axis length in normal C57BL/6 mice A: High-quality image of eye axis measurement by OCT B: Low-quality image caused by not performing pupil dilation or incomplete pupil dilation C: Low-quality image caused by eyeball orientation not facing the lens D: Low-quality image caused by occlusion E: Low-quality image caused by failure to reach the optimal focus position F: Low-quality image caused by eyeball not being in the scan area G: Low-quality image caused by ocular surface fluid not being cleaned OCT: optical coherence tomography
Figure 5 Normal adult C57BL/6 mouse retinal OCT images A: Retinal OCT layer map B: Retinal OCT thickness measurement model map C: Low-quality retinal OCT image OCT: optical coherence tomography
Figure 6 Retinal OCT images of experimental animals in different species A: Zebrafish B: C57BL/6 mouse C: SD rat D: BN rat E: Guinea pig F: New Zealand white rabbit G: pig H: rhesus monkey OCT: optical coherence tomography
Figure 7 OCTA images of normal C57BL/6 mouse iris A: High-quality OCTA of iris B: Low-quality OCTA image of iris with motion artifacts and signal noise OCTA: optical coherence tomography angiography
Figure 8 OCTA images of normal adult C57BL/6 mouse retina and choroid A: Retinal color map B: Gray map of nerve fiber layer C: Gray map of inner plexiform layer D: Gray map of outer plexiform layer E: Gray map of superficial choroid F: Gray map of deep choroid OCTA: optical coherence tomography angiography
Figure 9 OCTA images of SD rat retina and choroid A: Retinal color map B: Gray map of nerve fiber layer C: Gray map of inner plexiform layer D: Gray map of outer plexiform layer E: Gray map of superficial choroid F: Gray map of deep choroid OCTA: optical coherence tomography angiography
Figure 10 Low-quality OCTA map of retina and choroid A: En face image of local retinal defocus OCT B: Picture A corresponding to retinal OCTA map C: Picture A corresponding to retinal OCTA map D: Picture A corresponding to retinal OCTA gray scale E: Picture A corresponding to choroid OCTA map OCT: optical coherence tomography; OCTA: optical coherence tomography angiography
Firure 11 OCTA images of retina and choroid in laser-induced choroid neovascularization model in C57BL/6 mice A: Retinal color map B: Gray map of nerve fiber layer C: Gray map of inner plexiform layer D: Gray map of outer plexiform layer E: Gray map of superficial choroid F: Gray map of deep choroid OCTA: optical coherence tomography angiography
Figure 12 OCTA pictures at different time points after C57BL/6 mouse retinal vein occlusion model establishment A: Day 5 after modeling B: Day 12 after modeling OCTA: optical coherence tomography angiography
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