Abstract
Purpose :
Compact high-resolution retinal imagers may accelerate the translation of adaptive optics technology to the clinic. This study assessed the capability of a multimodal compact adaptive optics (AO) line scanning ophthalmoscope (LSO) for imaging the human retina when using multiple detection options.
Methods :
Four imaging modalities of the compact AO retinal imager were tested: enface bright field, enface dark field, enface bright field with polarization, and cross-sectional with Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT). In the bright-field mode, quasi-confocal imaging is obtained by illuminating the retina with a scanning light source, which is collected by a line-array CMOS sensor for high contrast imaging of the retinal photoreceptors. In the dark-field detection mode, the light back-scattered from the retina is displaced and collected by a time-domain integration (TDI) line camera in order to resolve retinal vascular structures. In the polarized detection mode, the eye is illuminated with linearly polarized light and the light exiting the eye is filtered with an analyzer. High-resolution OCT is performed simultaneously during LSO imaging of the retina. All the imaging modalities have been tested in adult volunteers.
Results :
In the bright-field mode, images of the photoreceptor mosaic are collected across the central and peripheral retina at high-resolution. Cones close to the fovea (<1 degree) can be visualized in healthy adult subjects. In the dark-field detection mode, images of the microvasculature are acquired with high contrast. In the polarized detection mode, high-resolution images of the retinal nerve fiber bundles are acquired with the polarizer oriented for maximum throughoutput (i.e., parallel to major axis of bundles). AO-OCT provided high-resolution cross-section images of the retina in corresponding regions of LSO imaging.
Conclusions :
The multimodal AO retinal imager is able to collect high-resolution enface and cross-section images of the human retina. The combination of complementary detection options provides a holistic approach for in-depth investigation of the retinal photoreceptors, capillaries and nerve fiber bundles.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2017 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Baltimore, MD, May 7-11, 2017.