Abstract
Purpose: :
Advanced imaging technologies detect tissue changes due to retinal injury or disease often not discernable with fundus photography. Recent developments at Physical Sciences Inc (PSI) and the Wellman Center for Photomedicine (MGH/Harvard) make it possible to combine new technologies into a single, field–deployable device.
Methods: :
PSI’s Line–Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscope (LSLO) is a compact, low–cost, confocal imaging system. High quality, high resolution and high contrast wide–field en face retinal LSLO images are obtained non–mydriatically with <600 microwatt of NIR power at 15 frames/sec or more. Revolutionary advances have been made in the field of optical coherence tomography (OCT), pioneered by researchers at MGH. New implementations of spectral domain OCT (SDOCT) have produced more efficient designs with few moving parts and a hundred–fold multiplex advantage over conventional time–domain OCT. Full SDOCT images are obtained non–mydriatically, with <600 microwatt of broadband illumination at 15 frames/sec or more. The optical design and signal processing architecture PSI has developed for the hand–held LSLO is ideally suited to the incorporation of SDOCT.
Results: :
A hybrid LSLO/SDOCT imaging system was successfully demonstrated. Novel design integration and operating modes allow both imaging subsystems to use a single broadband source, as well as common optics and detector, and eventually, a single image acquisition, real–time processing and display system. These design innovations and progress toward full integration will be described.
Conclusions: :
A powerful new class of hand–held hybrid devices that switch imaging modes at the touch of a button will enable better, faster, and more flexible eye examination and enhance detection of retinal injury or pathology.
Keywords: imaging methods (CT, FA, ICG, MRI, OCT, RTA, SLO, ultrasound)