Cynthia Toth, MD, is a pioneer in the development of Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), over the last 30 years she and her colleagues including Joseph Izatt, PhD, Michael J. Fitzpatrick Distinguished Professor of Engineering, and Chair of Duke BME have revolutionized OCT. Toth and Izat have translated OCT to human imaging and over the years refined and discovered innovative applications including the first handheld OCT imaging system.
In her recent article, "Optical Coherence Tomography and Eye Care," published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Toth, Joseph A.C. Wadsworth Distinguished Professor of Ophthalmology, highlights the transformative power of OCT in eye care and celebrates James Fujimoto, PhD, David Huang, MD, PhD, and Eric Swanson, MS, the inventors of OCT and recipients of the 2023 Lasker–DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award, often referred to as America’s Nobel Prize.
Toth collaborated with Fujimoto and Swanson on early retinal OCT research in 1992. She credits this early exposure to innovative engineering and the potential for OCT to be used in clinical care as a turning point in her career.
"Toth's article provides a great summary of a disruptive technology that’s changed our fundamental understanding of eye disease," said Edward Buckley, MD, Chair Duke Ophthalmology.