Abstract
Purpose: :
To present applicability of high speed swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) to in-vivo imaging of the anterior segment of the eye. High speed imaging enables volumetric imaging of the entire anterior segment. An anterior and posterior surface of the cornea can be extracted with decreased number of motion artifacts, which is beneficial in corneal topography and thickness maps recovering.
Methods: :
The prototype SS-OCT system constructed at Nicolaus Copernicus University (Torun, Poland) is used. The swept laser is working in the FDML regime at a central wavelength of 1310 nm. With this wavelength, in comparison with 800 nm, a better penetration under the sclera is possible and an increased field of examination covering the whole anterior segment can be achieved. A wide tuning range of the laser enables imaging with the axial resolution of ~9 microns in tissue. A high acquisition speed (~100,000 axial scan per second) allows acquiring three-dimensional data set comprising 100 images of 2000 pixels with the acquisition time of 2 s.
Results: :
Preliminary results of application of the fast SS-OCT at 1310 nm are presented. Three-dimensional data obtained with the high acquisition speed are quantitatively analyzed. Additionally new two- and three-dimensional scanning protocols and numerical data analysis improving efficiency of the cornea examination, in terms of reducing of the resolution and signal loss caused by the corneal curvature, are demonstrated.
Conclusions: :
High speed swept-source optical coherence tomography working at central wavelength of 1310 nm is well-suited for imaging of the anterior segment of the eye. The high acquisition speed enables three-dimensional imaging with a high sampling density and reduction of motion artifacts. Appropriate scanning protocols and numerical analysis can be used to enhance high speed imaging of the cornea.
Keywords: imaging methods (CT, FA, ICG, MRI, OCT, RTA, SLO, ultrasound) • cornea: basic science