Which retinal layers are highly reflective on OCT?

Which retinal layers are highly reflective on OCT?

• A. RPE, RNFL
• B. ILM, ONL
• C. RPE, IS/OS
• D. NFL, INL

Answer: (A)

OCT reflectivity hinges on how much light is scattered by tissue interfaces and pigments. The retinal pigment epithelium is extremely reflective because its pigment and dense cellular contents scatter light back toward the detector, creating a bright band. The retinal nerve fiber layer is also highly reflective due to the tightly packed, organized axons that produce many scattering interfaces along the inner retina. Other layers, like the outer nuclear and inner nuclear layers, have less internal scattering and thus appear less bright. So the two layers that stand out as highly reflective are the RPE and the RNFL.

OCT reflectivity hinges on how much light is scattered by tissue interfaces and pigments. The retinal pigment epithelium is extremely reflective because its pigment and dense cellular contents scatter light back toward the detector, creating a bright band. The retinal nerve fiber layer is also highly reflective due to the tightly packed, organized axons that produce many scattering interfaces along the inner retina. Other layers, like the outer nuclear and inner nuclear layers, have less internal scattering and thus appear less bright. So the two layers that stand out as highly reflective are the RPE and the RNFL.