Andrew Cohen, PhD, associate professor of electrical and computer
engineering at Drexel University, is collaborating with Joel S. Schuman, MD,
FACS, Vice Chair for Research Innovation at Wills Eye Hospital, on a
National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded project to improve early
detection and monitoring of glaucoma. The research seeks to enhance the
utility of Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) images of the retina in
diagnosing and predicting disease progression.
Glaucoma, a leading cause of irreversible blindness, is marked by
progressive thinning of the retinal nerve fiber layer and macular
degeneration. While OCT has revolutionized glaucoma diagnostics over the
past three decades, this continuation project aims to refine imaging
techniques and optimize data analysis for earlier detection and improved
health outcomes.
As part of the research effort, Cohen and his team will develop new
computational approaches to analyze OCT images of the retina, establishing
metric and predictive methods for quantifying changes in visual function
over time. The team intends to release the software tools and accompanying
datasets free and open-source to the broader research community to increase
the impact of these advances.
“This project represents an important step in leveraging computational
modeling to improve glaucoma diagnostics,” said Cohen. “By developing robust
analytical tools and open-access datasets, we aim to accelerate research in
ophthalmic imaging and enhance clinical decision-making.”