Anterior segment imaging in glaucoma: An updated review

Anterior segment imaging allows for an objective method of visualizing the anterior segment angle. Two of the most commonly used devices for anterior segment imaging include the anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) and the ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM). AS-OCT technology has several types, including time-domain, swept-source, and spectral-domain-based configurations. We performed a literature search on PubMed for articles containing the text “anterior segment OCT,” “ultrasound biomicroscopy,” and “anterior segment imaging” since 2004, with some pertinent references before 2004 included for completeness. This review compares the advantages and disadvantages of AS-OCT and UBM, and summarizes the most recent literature regarding the importance of these devices in glaucoma diagnosis and management. These devices not only aid in visualization of the angle, but also have important postsurgical applications in bleb and tube imaging.