Recent advances in retinal imaging have improved the evaluation and prognostication of age-related macular degeneration. The development and modification of the scanning laser ophthalmoscope (SLO) has played a pivotal role in our understanding of the disease. SLO has led to improved methods of visualising characteristics of the disease, such as drusen and alterations in autofluorescence, and also provided a platform for the quantification of structural and functional changes occurring as a result of the disease process. This article provides a review of the current literature on the impact and clinical utility of SLO devices for infrared viewing, fundus autofluorescence, microperimetry, and as integraded multimodal imaging systems such as optical coherence tomography and SLO.

Recent advances in retinal imaging have improved the evaluation and prognostication of age-related macular degeneration. The development and modification of the scanning laser ophthalmoscope (SLO) has played a pivotal role in our understanding of the disease. SLO has led to improved methods of visualizing characteristics of the disease, such as drusen and alterations in autofluorescence, and also provided a platform for the quantification of structural and functional changes occurring as a result of the disease process. This article provides a review of the current literature on the impact and clinical utility of SLO devices for infrared viewing, fundus autofluorescence, microperimetry, and as integraded multimodal imaging systems such as optical coherence tomography and SLO.