ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Spectroscopic optical coherence tomography

Okay kiddo, so you know how doctors use special machines to look inside our bodies when we are sick? Spectroscopic optical coherence tomography (or SOCT for short) is one of those machines, but it uses light instead of X-rays to take pictures of our insides.

SOCT uses a special type of light that can go really deep into our tissues and organs. This light works like a flashlight, shining into our bodies and bouncing off the different parts inside. The machine then captures the reflections and turns them into images on the screen.

But, SOCT does something even cooler than just taking pictures. It can also tell us about the different types of tissues in our bodies. You see, different tissues reflect the light in slightly different ways, so the machine can pick up on those differences and tell us what they are.

This is where spectroscopy comes in. Spectroscopy is like a special pair of glasses that helps us see the different colors of light. So when the SOCT is taking pictures, it can also use spectroscopy to see what colors are being reflected by the different tissues. This helps doctors identify specific diseases or conditions by looking at the colors in the images.

Overall, SOCT is a really helpful tool that doctors can use to see inside our bodies and help us stay healthy.