Intraoperative Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography; Its Time has Come

209 Vitreoretinal surgery has experienced an explosion of advances in the last decade and a half. New advances in pars plana vitrectomy systems including small‐gauge instrumentation have provided many potential benefits to patients and surgeons. These include more efficient surgery; decreased postoperative inflammation leading to less pain and more patient comfort; improved cosmetic appearance following surgery; decreased astigmatic changes; and more rapid visual recovery. Pharmacotherapy and chromovitrectomy have facilitated pars plana vitrectomy and peeling of membranes. Better visualization with better microscopes and optics is also available. Advances and technology continue to add to the explosion of possibilities available in our armamentarium. Spectral‐domain optical coherence tomography (SD‐OCT) is a rapid, noncontact and noninvasive method of imaging intraocular tissues that has significantly contributed to the understanding, diagnosis, preoperative evaluation, and follow‐up of macular diseases. SD‐OCT has become the gold standard to evaluate these patients before and after surgery. In this issue of JOVR, Riazi‐Esfahani et al[1] report a very timely and well written study titled “Macular Surgery Using Intraoperative Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography”. In this retrospective case series on patients who underwent macular surgery with concurrent intraoperative SD‐OCT for full thickness macular hole (MH), vitreomacular traction (VMT) or epiretinal membrane (ERM), the authors wished to evaluate intraoperative SD‐OCT for detecting anatomical changes during macular surgery. Intraoperative use of SD‐OCT for macular surgery may provide the surgeon with immediate information about anatomical changes during surgery, such as the presence of subretinal fluid, fluid dynamics, traction and amount of surgical trauma.[2] The literature on the intraoperative use of SD‐OCT in retinal surgeries is quite scarce with very few cases reported.[3,4] To the best of my knowledge, Riazi‐Esfahani et al[1] report the largest series to date of patients undergoing concurrent pars plana vitrectomy and intra‐operative SD‐OCT. Intraoperative Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography; Its Time has Come