Retinal imaging with polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography and adaptive optics

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Biomedical Optics
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Retinal layers modify light polarization, offering potential as biomarkers for tissue health.
• Polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT) is gaining clinical interest for its ability to detect these changes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate an adaptive optics-enhanced PS-OCT system for high-resolution retinal imaging.
• To quantify the improvements in signal-to-noise ratio, lateral resolution, and speckle size offered by adaptive optics in PS-OCT.

Main Methods:

• Integration of adaptive optics (AO) into the sample arm of a PS-OCT system.
• Utilized a single line scan camera for detection.
• Quantified system performance metrics including signal-to-noise ratio, lateral resolution, and speckle size.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated significant improvements in signal-to-noise ratio, lateral resolution, and reduced speckle size due to AO integration.
• Measured double pass phase retardation values in the nerve fiber layer (0.25–0.65 degrees/microm), exceeding previous PS-OCT findings.
• Achieved the highest resolution to date for mapping polarization scrambling in the retinal pigment epithelium.

Conclusions:

• Adaptive optics significantly enhances the capabilities of PS-OCT for detailed retinal microstructural analysis.
• The developed AO-PS-OCT system provides unprecedented resolution for studying retinal polarization properties.
• This technology holds promise for improved clinical diagnostics and understanding of retinal diseases.