Coextensive synchronized SLO-OCT with adaptive optics for human retinal imaging.

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Biomedical Engineering
• Optical Imaging

Background:

• Multimodal retinal imaging systems are crucial for diagnosing and monitoring eye diseases.
• Existing systems often face limitations in speed, resolution, or concurrent data acquisition.
• Adaptive optics (AO) enhances resolution but integration with other modalities can be challenging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To detail the design and capabilities of a novel multimodal retinal imaging system.
• To demonstrate concurrent, high-resolution, in vivo imaging of the retina using integrated AO, SLO, and OCT.
• To overcome limitations of existing multimodal imaging technologies.

Main Methods:

• Integration of adaptive optics (AO) with a swept-source, Fourier-domain mode-locked (FDML) laser-based optical coherence tomography (OCT) and scanning light ophthalmoscopy (SLO) system.
• Utilized a high A-scan rate (1.6 MHz) FDML laser and shared scanners (resonant and galvanometer) for raster scanning the retina.
• Achieved concurrent acquisition of SLO frames and OCT volumes at 6 Hz with AO-enabled diffraction-limited resolution.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated a multimodal system capable of simultaneous SLO and OCT imaging.
• Achieved concurrent acquisition of SLO frames and OCT volumes at 6 Hz.
• Provided diffraction-limited cellular resolution for both imaging modalities through adaptive optics.

Conclusions:

• The developed system offers a significant advancement in multimodal retinal imaging.
• Concurrent high-speed, high-resolution imaging is feasible with integrated AO, SLO, and OCT.
• This technology holds potential for enhanced diagnosis and research in retinal diseases.