A uniform format for ocular imaging devices.

Purpose: To develop a uniform file format of ocular imaging data, including, but not limited to, ultrasound biomicroscopy, optical coherence tomography, and nerve fiber analyzer, capable of being transmitted via Internet or intranet for collaborative research and telemedicine use.

Method: File filters were developed as dynamic link libraries (DLLs). These can read the original raw data format of each ocular imaging device. A data file format was also designed to describe these raw data uniformly in three different types of compression: noncompressed, run length compression, and differential pulse code modulation (DPCM). These three file formats were then tested in the following aspects: file size, speed of reading, and speed of writing.

Results: Run length compression failed to compress raw data, while DPCM compressed raw data successfully (< or =35.5%). The speed of reading and writing files was slowest in DPCM. However, the actual time of reading and writing was fast enough (<0.6 s) for daily work regardless of file compression methods.

Conclusion: The format designed has robust potential to be the standard file format for transmission of any ocular imaging raw data.