Abstract
Purpose :
Adaptive Optics Scanning Light Ophthalmoscopy (AOSLO) provides exceptional contrast of cone photoreceptor outer segments using reflectance confocal imaging. To date, optical design of AOSLO systems have been optimized for a specific pupil size, typically to match that of an average human dilated pupil. However, dilation and pupil size vary across individuals and with age. Choosing the optimal optical design is then a compromise as a given AOSLO pupil size will be suboptimal for many subjects: subjects with large pupils will be imaged with reduced resolution than could be possible, subjects with smaller pupils will have reduced brightness (and hence reduced signal to noise ratio) and also use less of the deformable mirror’s correction capability. Furthermore, fixed pupil designs require a totally new system design for imaging animal models with different pupil sizes. Our purpose is to design a compact AOSLO with a scalable exit pupil that retains diffraction limited performance across an order of magnitude scale in pupil size. Such a design would make it possible to use the same system to a wide range of species from mice to humans and also enable optimal imaging in human subjects with different pupil sizes.
Methods :
A new AOSLO optical design was developed using zemax and employing a design strategy that maximizes information throughput. Each component in the AOSLO system was evaluated to identify the limits for space-bandwidth product and the optical design was optimized to minimize the overall size while retaining diffraction limited resolution over a range of pupil sizes from 1 to 10mm. The system components were chosen using off-the-shelf mirrors and the system was constructed as shown in the figure.
Results :
The resulting system is diffraction limited and has a footprint of less than 24x36 inches.
Conclusions :
The system optimizes both the diffraction limited resolution, the space bandwith product (overall number of resolved pixels), and reduces the scale such that the optical system and electronics can be assembled on a cart for mobility within a clinic or animal facility.
This abstract was presented at the 2024 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, WA, May 5-9, 2024.